


I See the Light

by catbel



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexual Tony Stark, Cold War, Deaf Clint Barton, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5040544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catbel/pseuds/catbel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last place Steve Rogers expected to wake up was the 1980's, and the last person he expected to meet was the supposedly deceased son of Howard Stark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If the title wasn't obvious enough, this story was inspired by Disney's Tangled. However, this story won't really follow any of that plot besides the one of a child being taken and hidden away. This story takes places in the late 1980's, meaning Steve was found only after being frozen for about 40 years. Some ages have been shifted around a bit to fit the plot.

The faint sound of a laugh track echoed in the distance as Tony continued to weld together a prototype he’d been working on. A robot with a claw like arm circled around his chair, a smoothie sloshing onto the floor that was grasped in the bot’s claw.

“DUM-E, you’re making a mess!” The laugh track from the TV played as if on cue causing Tony to smile. He set down the blowtorch and took the glass from Dummy, giving the robot an affectionate pat on its arm. DUM-E was Tony’s first A.I. he had created at when he was fourteen. While the bot wasn’t perfect, Tony cared deeply for all his creation since they were the only friends he had. His father, the great inventor - Howard Stark, was his inspiration and who Tony aspired to be; even though he had never met the man.

Obadiah Stane, Howard’s friend and business associate, had raised him all alone in an underground bunker. Tony couldn’t remember his parents, he was the sole survivor of a tragic car accident that occurred when Howard and Maria were bringing him home from the hospital. For as long as Tony could remember his Uncle Obie had told him tales of the surface - about his mother, Maria who was a beautiful and gracious woman; and of course of Howard and his rise from poverty to creator of Stark Industries.

Obadiah said he would never take Tony to a public shelter, it was too dangerous despite Tony craving contact with other humans. He constantly warned Tony that the Cold War was still ongoing and that the United States was losing. That’s why Tony helped design and build weapons for Obie and Stark Industries. Tony wanted nothing more than to help defeat the Soviet Union so he could finally go outside.

He was going to be eighteen in a few days and every year Obie would bring him something special from the surface, but this year Tony didn’t want a physical object. He just wanted to see the outside world even if it was for a few minutes. To feel the sun warm his skin, to breath in fresh air, and feel grass between his toes were things Tony had only been able to dream of. He knew it would be asking a lot of his uncle, but Tony was willing to compromise and not ask for cheeseburgers for the rest of his life if it meant going outside.

The familiar sound of the vault door creaking open perked Tony’s ears and he eagerly moved to greet his uncle. “Obie!” Tony doubled back to grab the prototype he had been working on, a miniaturized arc reactor, and presented the device to Obadiah. “I think I got all the specs right, I just need to make a few adjustments before moving on to testing. The palladium -”

“Slow down, kiddo,” Obadiah smiled too widely as he plucked the arc reactor from Tony’s hands. He turned the device over in the palm of his hand, his other hand clapping Tony roughly on the shoulder. “Nice job, Tony. How fast will it take you to complete the project?”

Tony preened from his uncle’s praise. “I hope to have it fully functional by the end of the week.”

Obadiah removed his hand as he nodded, moving over to examine the workshop as Tony followed like a shadow. “I’ll hold you to that deadline,” He ruffled Tony’s already messy hair before his hand moved to grasp the boy’s chin. “Your father blessed us when he helped create the Atomic Bomb, but truly this is a work of art. Howard would be so proud of you.”

A chill ran through Tony’s body, a sensation that often occurred around Obadiah for some reason. He forced a smile before taking a small step back. Despite craving human contact, Tony never really liked it when Obie touched him. “Have you heard from Jarvis lately?” It was a question Tony asked almost every time Obadiah visited. He hadn’t always been alone, over a decade ago Edwin Jarvis had been a weekly, if not daily visitor. Then one day he just stopped coming, instead mailing Obadiah letters for Tony of his travels.

“I’m afraid not, Tony. You’re almost an adult now, you don’t need him doting on you.” Obadiah replied, tersely.  

“I-I know,” Tony worried his lower lip, “I just miss him is all. You’re sure he doesn’t want me to call?”

Obadiah sighed, clucking his tongue in annoyance. “He’s a busy man. Everyone is doing their part to make sure America wins the war. You want to win, don’t you?”

Tony nodded, knowing it was time to drop the subject when Obie brought up winning the war. “Yes, sir.”

“Good! Now, you have enough food down here for the next few days. I’ll check up on you then. I expect more progress on the arc reactor when I return.” Obadiah held the device out for Tony to take, forgetting the boy didn’t like to be handed things. Tony reached for the prototype, unable to stop himself from cringing.

“Um...Uncle Obie?” Tony said as Obadiah turned to leave. “It’s my birthday soon and I...I was hoping I could ask for something special this year.”

Obadiah turned around to look at Tony, his brow raised. “Of course it is. I wouldn’t forget your birthday, Tony. What would you like this year?” He asked, the question coming across as rhetorical.

“I was hoping I could go outside,” As soon as the request left Tony’s mouth Obadiah’s face fell into a stern frown. “I know it’s asking a lot and that it isn’t the safest out there, but I just want to see. Obie, please...I can’t keep living like this.”

“How incredibly selfish of you,” Obadiah roared, spit flying from his lip. “You’re living like a king compared to most and you don’t want to live like this? If it weren’t for me you’d be dead. You ungrateful, little prick!”

Tony felt his back hit the wall, his whole body trembling from Obadiah’s outburst. Obie didn’t get mad at him often, but when he did it often led to violence. “Sorry, that was stupid of me to ask. I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me, Uncle Obie. I’ll work twice as hard, I promise.”

“Oh, Tony,” Obadiah breathed, his features softening. He walked over to the smaller boy and forced him into a hug. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but you know how I hate when you say stupid things.”

Tony didn’t say anything, determined to remain perfectly still until he felt Obie’s arms pull away. He stayed like that until he heard the door shut. Maybe next year would be the year he could go outside.

 

**…**

 

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters

May 27th, 1988 

Phil Coulson finished passing out the documents for his team’s current mission, his eyes trained on those who sat at the round table. The Avengers Initiative was still getting off the ground, but he had a talented team so far. Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were his go to for undercover missions and the recently defrosted Captain America was better than Coulson could have imagined. Howard had set aside a fund to continue the search for Steve Rogers, but never in anyone’s wildest dreams did the think they would find the hero alive after over forty years submerged in ice.

“Romanoff, status report.” Phil said as he moved to take his seat, giving Natasha the floor. Natasha stood gracefully and moved to the front of the room where a screen was set up behind her. An image of a woman with copper colored hair appeared with a list of facts presented alongside.

“This is Virginia Potts, she goes by the nickname of Pepper and is currently Obadiah Stane’s assistant. She discovered some odd data within the Stark Industries databases and notified the FBI, leading for the case to be assigned to S.H.I.E.L.D. due to the threat of national security being compromised. As you’ve all read, Obadiah Stane became the owner and main shareholder in Stark Industries after the Stark family was killed in a car accident in the 70’s,”

Steve balled his hand into a fist when a picture of the wreckage came onto the screen. He had known Howard, and while he never got to meet his wife or child it still caused him an overwhelming sense of grief to know his comrade had gone in such a tragic way.

Natasha cleared her throat before continuing, the image of the car crash being replaced with Obadiah Stane himself. “For the past month, I have been working with Ms. Potts and Mr. Stane at Stark Industries as an assistant-”

“Why does Stane need two assistants?” Clint interrupted. His paperwork looked untouched, which always led to repetitive questions in meetings.

“He doesn’t trust people. The duties he assigns are divided up to prevent people from taking company secrets.” Natasha replied. “As I was saying, while infiltrating Stark Industries I was able to copy the data Pepper reported. I believe Stane is double dealing Stark weapons to turn a profit,” Her eyes flickered between Clint and the file folder next to him, knowing the archer was ignoring her. A sigh fell from her lips, “What’s odd is some money I can’t account for. It’s been going on for over a decade.”

“Is it possible Stane’s pocketing the money for himself?” Steve spoke up, his face twisted with disgust at the man on the screen.

“Doubtful. Why get in the messy business of illegal arms trading if you can just move the money to an offshore account? I can’t trace where these funds are going, but it’s almost as if he’s covering someone’s living expenses. I haven’t been able to uncover any significant others that Stane would be involved with.

“As if that guy could get a girl without flashing some cash.” Clint said with a snort, his hand reaching for the papers to skim over.

“Noted. Keep an eye on it, Agent Romanoff.” Phil stated. “Are we still on schedule for our mission this week?”

“Yes, Stane will be traveling to Afghanistan. It’s a perfect opening to raid the Stark family’s manor that was willed to Stane as there were no other living relatives listed to inherit the property. We’ll most likely be able to find some evidence and maybe even physical weapons from Stane’s under the table deals.”

“Howard’s stuff is probably still down in his workshop.” Steve added. “Last I recall he was working on a flying car.” Although the last time Steve had seen that car it had crashed on stage in front of a pretty large crowd.

Coulson straightened in his chair with a serene smile. “Mr. Stark had an impressive Captain America collection if I remember correctly. A shame that it’s rotting away unappreciated.”

Clint rolled his eyes while Steve awkwardly looked away from the agent. The fact that they made so much Captain America merchandise even after his plane had gone down boggled his mind.

“We strike the day after tomorrow,” Natasha stated, bringing the group back on topic. “We’re not going to get distracted or take anything not part of the mission.” She glared icily at Clint and Phil. There was no way she would jeopardize her cover over a few pieces of memorabilia or valuables going missing.

Phil and Clint were quick to leave, leaving Steve and Natasha alone. Steve was re-reading over the files, his heart aching the more he read about Howard and his family. If he had been found maybe the accident wouldn’t have happened. Steve knew there was no logic for the connection he had drawn, but the guilt still resonated within him.

“You’re thinking so loud, I’m surprised the entire building can’t hear,” Natasha gently took the file from Steve and placed it with her stack of papers. A beat of silence passed before Natasha spoke again, her hand gently squeezing Steve’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you could’ve done, Steve. Accidents happen.”

“His whole family was killed. His son-” Steve’s voice broke, his head bowed in grief.

“You can help him now, Steve. That bastard has no business running Howard’s company.”

Steve took a breath and steeled himself to put on the Captain America persona people expected of him. “Let’s take him down, Romanoff.” He flashed her a confident smile and for a moment Steve believed himself.

Natasha walked toward the door, a smirk spreading across her usually neutral features. Never in her life did she think she’d hear Captain America consider her, a former KGB agent, a part of his team.

 

**…**

 

The guitar riffs from Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ blared throughout the bunker. Not that Tony cared, the place was sound proof. One of his favorite gifts was the music Obie brought him throughout the years. At first he’d brought him classical music, but after a rock album slipped into the mix there was no going back. Tony hands moved in beat with the guitar chords, his fingers mimicked playing the strings. Loud music helped him think for some reason. It drowned out his constant thinking and let him focus on the project he was working, which was currently miniaturizing the arc reactor. What would be an impossible task for most, Tony took on as a challenge. Once he completed this project there was no way America wouldn’t win the war. Obie would have to at least let him upstairs to look out the window after this.

“DUM-E! U!” Tony shouted over the music. “You’re lucky you’re all I’ve got down here. Why did I make you two so stupid?” DUM-E’s claw tugged at the hem of Tony’s shirt and the inventor couldn’t help but smile fondly. “I know, I know. You’re doing the best you can. Make me a smoothie without trying to poison me this time; don’t make me get the dunce cap out again. U will add the photo to the Wall of Shame.” Tony pointed to the wall behind him that was covered with photos of DUM-E in various states of failure. To be fair Tony had added a few pictures of himself on there. However, Tony would make sure this project was a success.

 

**…**

“For a guy that doesn’t live here, there sure is a lot of security.” Clint grunted as he finished disabling another alarm. He opened the door with a gush of stale air and gestured with his hands for everyone to go in. They filed in slowly, cautious of their surroundings despite the manor being empty. 

“I think we should split up. We can cover ground more quickly.” Steve said, his eyes constantly darting about the room while his hand was poised to grasp his shield at a moment's notice.

Clint’s face split into a grin. “Have you never seen a horror movie, Cap? That’s how people die.”

“Enough jokes,” Phil snapped. “Everyone make sure your comms are on. Hawkeye take the top floor.”

Natasha stepped between the two, giving the archer a pointed look while keeping her gun raised. “Phil and I will take the main floors. If the comms go out we meet at the rendezvous point.”

“I’ll take the basement.” Steve affirmed. He pulled the shield from his back and began his descent to the basement.

The further Steve looked around, the more details he could pick out that clearly pointed to the house belonging to Howard Stark. When the team had walked into the foyer it, Steve had to remind himself to focus and not get distracted by the gaudy interior. What hurt the most were the photos, though.

In Howard’s workshop there were pictures of the Howling Commandos, and of Howard and Peggy through the years. Steve had been pulled from the ice a year ago, but Peggy was still a somewhat sore subject for him. He knew it was unrealistic to think she’d still be the same gal, but it still pained him to see her. She deserved to be happy and Steve didn’t dare take that away from her.

His hand lingered on the picture frame containing Peggy’s portrait of when her and Howard founded S.H.I.E.L.D, but he knew he couldn’t take. A faint whistling noise caught Steve’s attention and he immediately drew his shield in front of him. He glanced at his surroundings, but didn’t catch any signs of movement.

The sound would most likely go undetected by most, but the serum had enhanced his hearing capabilities greatly. After a moment of listening, Steve was able to determine it was coming from the back wall of Howard’s workshop.

“Cap, we haven’t found anything. We’re coming to you,” Natasha’s voice said over the comm, startling him.

“Roger.” Steve replied still fixated on the wall. He knocked on the bricks, not surprised when he heard a hollow echo instead of a dull thud.

After some careful tinkering, Steve was able to figure out how the trick door worked. The wall swung outward like a door only to reveal what looked like a vault.

“Jeez, was Stark Scrooge McDuck?” Clint whistled when he saw what Steve had found. “If there’s a pile of gold in there I’m going for a swim.”

Steve almost said that he got that reference, but concentrated on getting the door open instead. “You guys might want to back up a bit.” He warned before placing both hands on the door handle and pulling.

The metal door crashed to the floor to reveal a much larger workshop inside, the entire basement soon being flooded with the sound of rock music. A yell startled the group, each one drawing their weapon before they could see where it came from. Steve was prepared to strike only to pause when he saw who had yelled. A child stood a few feet away from where the door had been, clearly shaken from the sudden intrusion.

“Hold your fire,” Steve yelled, his eyes not leaving the boy. He took a step forward only for the boy to take a step back. “Son, I’m here to help. Are you hurt?” Steve asked as he raised his hands up in a gesture of peace.

He blinked owlishly, his mouth moving but no words were coming out. Steve thrusted his hand back, signalling for the others to wait outside the bunker. “Do you speak English?” Steve asked slowly, but not condescendingly as he tried advancing again.

“C-Captain America?” Tony said, his voice just above a whisper as he looked on in awe.

“Yes, that’s me. You can trust me.” Steve assured. Suddenly the boy was charging at him and Steve braced himself for a hit. When he felt no pain he looked down to see the boy was clinging to his waist.

“This is the best birthday ever!” he cried as he clung tightly to Steve. “I can’t believe Obie got you to come down here. This is way better than going outside.”

Steve’s eyes widen at the confession, quickly putting together that Obie was Obadiah. “What’s your name?” He asked with a sense of urgency lining the question.

“You may have heard of me. I’m Tony Stark from Stark Industries. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain.” Tony grinned, extending his hand for Steve to shake.

Steve froze and for the first time since he had come out of the ice he felt his blood run cold.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Steve choked as air filled his lungs, his entire body convulsing despite the layers of blankets on top of him. He sat up quickly causing his vision to swim.

“Welcome to the land of the living, Captain Rogers.” A deep voice said.

Steve stilled, his hand moving for the knife he carried in his belt. He mentally cursed himself when he felt clammy flesh beneath his fingers and narrowed his eyes to where the voice had come from. “Who are you?” He demanded, his voice cracking.

“Nicholas Joseph Fury, Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Which, we both know means jack shit to you; so I’ll level with you. We’re on the same team, Captain. This organization was founded by Howard Stark and Peggy Carter, those names should ring a bell.” Fury said, turning his gaze from the window to Steve.

“Peggy?” Steve croaked, suddenly feeling very thirsty. Fury moved closer and handed Steve a glass of water before carrying on with their conversation.

“The one and only,” he replied, taking the glass back after Steve took a drink. “She’ll be stopping by later, but we need to have a little talk first.”

Steve nodded lethargically, unable to to shake the feeling that something was off. He studied the man who called himself Fury, noting the man’s strange leather attire and eyepatch. “How long was I out?” He asked as he continued to observe the white walled room he was in. It was clear someone put a lot of effort to make it look as if he were in the 40’s, but there were small details and objects Steve knew were out of place.

“Not long,” Fury said while shifting in his chair. “What makes you say that?”

“Because the game you got on...May, 1941 - already happened. I would know, I was there,” Steve moved to get out of the bed. “Tell me what’s really going on here or you won’t like what’s about to happen.”

“Steve.” A light, yet firm voice commanded.

Steve stopped, turning his head toward the door to see an older woman. “P-Peggy?” There was no doubt in his mind that the woman standing before him was Peggy Carter, but this Peggy was older with graying hair and eyes filled with a wisdom they Peggy he knew had yet to posses. “What’s goin’ on here?” He asked as he looked between  Fury and Peggy.

“Oh, Steve...a lot has happened. We didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Peggy sighed, “I knew this was a bad idea.” She directed a stern look in Fury’s direction before returning her attention back to Steve.

Steve moved from the bed, crossing the distance until his fingers intertwined with Peggy’s. “What year is it, Peg?”

“1988,” She deadpanned. “After your plane went down...we looked, Steve. Howard practically went mad trying to find you, but -” her voice waivered, “We were sure you had died, it should’ve been impossible, but the ice...the serum…”

Steve felt his knees growing weak as he took in everything.

Decades had passed.

His breathing accelerated and the room began to spin.

“Steve, breathe.” Peggy reminded him as she did her best to support the soldier. Fury was by her side and both helped Steve back to the bed. “It’s going to be all right, darling. Just breathe.”

**…**

 

“Medical is looking the boy over,” Coulson stated, breaking Steve from his thoughts. “We currently have a warrant issued for Obadiah Stane’s arrest. While we weren’t able to recover physical weapons Stane won’t be seeing the light of day for a long time even if the kid isn’t Anthony Stark.”

“That kid’s probably been down there his entire life,” Clint said as he ground his teeth. “If Stane isn’t sent to the chair he’ll wish he had been once I’m through with him.” The archer cracked his knuckles, flexing his hands like when he was  warming up for a fight.

Their mission to recover more evidence of Stane’s double dealings hadn’t gone as planned. The goal had been to gather definite proof of Stane’s misdeeds in order to prosecute him, but instead they had found the boy claiming to be the deceased Tony Stark.

“We have access to all of Stane’s accounts now and Stark Industries. No doubt we’ll be able to uncover more details about his sales of weapons to other countries.” Natasha added, her eyes pouring over the old Stark files she held.

Coulson nodded. “Correct. Anything Stane was hiding before will quickly come to light thanks to this discovery.”

“What happens to the boy?” Steve cut in, his gaze hardened. Tony hadn’t left the bunker below Stark Manor willingly. When the team had so much as insinuated that Obadiah had been lying to Tony, the boy had screamed and called them all liars. Steve wasn’t even sure where Natasha got tranquilizers, but he was grateful when she stepped up to calm Tony down. The last thing Steve wanted to do was hurt a child.

“Director Carter is coming to see him. Howard and Maria named her as Tony’s godmother when he was born,” Fury stated as he entered the waiting room. “Dr. Banner will also be joining us.”

Steve quirked his brow at the sudden announcement. “Why? Isn’t a medical exam a bit beneath his talents?”

Fury heaved a sigh. “Not when we need to test if Tony has any traces of the serum in him.”

Everyone looked at Fury, their eyes widening as the idea had yet to cross their minds.

“You don’t think-” Clint was the first to speak.

“Don’t forget Howard Stark had a hand in Project Rebirth. We haven’t found anything yet, but we can’t rule out the possibility that Stane tried to recreate the experiment. From what we can tell, Stane had the kid designing and building weapons for years while he took the credit and reaped the profits.” Fury, whose demeanor often remained resilient, faltered as he spoke.

“I’d like to see him.” Steve said, feeling a bit sick at the thought of a child building weapons, or worse being experimented on. Tony clearly was a fan of Captain America and he wanted to do all he could to make Tony’s transition into the modern world as easy as possible.

Fury dragged his hand down his face. “Talk to Director Carter, Captain. If this boy really is Anthony Stark she becomes his legal guardian.”

**…**

 

Two days had passed before Tony was allowed visitors outside of Peggy and the medical staff. Word spreading to the team that Tony was indeed Howard and Maria Stark’s son.

Steve stood outside the door to Tony’s room, his hand raised to knock while his other cradled the gifts he and Natasha had picked out. Steve had picked out a few history books, knowing he had enjoyed them after he’d woken up from the ice a year ago. Natasha, on the other hand, had picked out something called a ‘Nintendo Entertainment System’ claiming it was something kids liked.

“Tony, may I come in?” Steve asked after he summoned up the courage to knock on the door. There was no response, but Steve didn’t hear a ‘no’ and opened the door cautiously. The sight before him made him backpedal before he realized this was the correct room. On the floor sat Tony with papers spread out around him, the end of a pen dangling from the boy’s mouth while another scrawled haphazardly across a sheet of paper.

“Uh, Tony?” Steve questioned without moving from the doorway.

Tony waved his hand in a motion to beckon Steve closer. “If it isn’t Captain America, if that is your real name.” He looked up from his papers, his eyes creased with mistrust before returning to his project.

“Actually, my real name is Steve Rogers.”

“Okay, ‘Steve Rogers’ why do you still look 20-something when you should be 70-something?” Tony countered without stopping his design work.

Steve tiptoed around the floor as if it were on fire before finding a clear space to sit on the floor across from Tony. “Hey, I’m 70. Don’t add on years.”

“Still doesn’t answer why you haven’t aged.” The younger of the two replied, flatly.

In the year Steve had woken from his deep sleep, the answer to the question of his appearance hadn’t become easier. “I was frozen and didn’t die because of the serum.” Even though he wished he had.

“So you’re like a caveman?” Tony smirked, pausing from his work to look up at the soldier.

“You said it was your birthday.” Steve not so subtly changed the subject while he set the gifts off to the side of him.

“And?”

Steve contemplated Tony’s lack of enthusiasm for a moment before stating the obvious. “We should do something to celebrate.”

Tony’s hand stopped moving, the pen in his hand falling to the floor. “You can help me celebrate by letting me talk to Obie and getting me out of here.” His head jerked up to glare fiercely at Steve, the papers beneath his hand crumpling.

“Obadiah has yet to turn himself into the authorities, but I can take you for a walk outside if you like.” Steve offered with a sigh.

Tony lept to his feet and threw a wadded up piece of paper at Steve’s head. “He hasn’t done anything wrong! He was protecting me.” He screamed until his voice broke.

Steve stood, both arms raised to block the slipper Tony had grabbed from his bedside. “Tony...what that man did wasn’t protecting you. I know it’s hard to -”

Tony threw the slipper before Steve could finish, his face flushed in rage. “You don’t know anything! None of you know anything. Get out!”

Quickly Steve left the room, careful not to turn his back in case Tony decided to make a break for it. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed in the hallway followed by what Steve registered as a morose sigh.

“I see you didn’t have any luck with him, either.” Peggy said softly, her eyes welling with tears.

Steve started to take a step forward, but hesitated before wrapping his arms around Peggy. He could feel the weight of her head rest against his chest and remained still until he felt her pull away.

She waved off Steve’s attempt at handing her a handkerchief, and forced a smile. “He reminds me of you, you know. So small, but passionate -”

“Peg…” Steve started, but was unable to finish.

“The spitting image of Howard, though. Except he has Maria eyes,” Peggy continued while looking toward Tony’s door. “I don’t know what to do, Steve. My husband wasn’t very close with Howard, and I don’t know how my children would react...I’m being terribly selfish.” Her voice wavered as a tear escaped.

Steve felt his posture grow stiff, they didn’t talk too much about Peggy’s family after going over all Steve had missed. He knew he should say something, but the words had left him and instead he stared blankly at his former love.

“We should ask what he wants,” Steve said after a long silence. The freedom of choice was something Steve was sure Tony would appreciate.

“He can’t take care of himself, Steve. He doesn’t understand how the world really works. People will take advantage of him and I won’t have that, not after all the boy’s been through.” Peggy was quick to argue, her arms moving to cross in front of her chest.

Steve grunted in agreement. Tony was legally an adult, but to throw him into an environment he didn’t know was asking for failure. “With some guidance, I think he’ll be okay. Let’s just help him recover first.”

A cough surprised Steve causing him to jump, it wasn’t like him to not hear someone approaching.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Bruce said sheepishly, a stack of papers in his right hand. “I didn’t know Tony was expecting any more visitors today.”

Steve felt his face flush, he hadn’t exactly asked permission to come visit today. Natasha had practically forced him out the door with their gifts before he could reconsider. “I’m sorry, Dr. Banner. I hope I didn’t cause any trouble.”

“No, no,” Bruce smiled, calmly. “It’s good for him to interact with different people. It’s the only way he’ll learn about social skills instead of what he was taught.”

“And what exactly was he taught?” Steve felt his throat growing tight.

“Well, from what he’s told me-”

Peggy raised her brow, “He’s spoken with you?”

Bruce nodded, carding his hand through his curly hair. “Yes, we both like science - a common ground. Actually, these are for him,” he held up the stack of papers briefly. “Tony wanted to see some articles I’ve published in scientific journals. What does he talk about with you two?”

Peggy and Steve peeked at each other before turning back to face Bruce. Through that small gesture, Steve knew Peggy wanted him to answer. “I wouldn’t say Tony talks to us, there’s more yelling involved.”

Bruce’s pursed his lips together into a thin line before he heaved a sigh. “Give Tony some time. Try getting to know him, you’ll be surprised how easily he opens up if you find something in common. He mentioned how he watched a lot of TV and whatever movies he had available. From what he was describing they were all very outdated.  My guess, Stane was determined to filter what Tony was exposed to so his lie about the Cold War would go unnoticed.”

“So he’s like you, Steve,” Peggy chimed in. “A man out of his time; in a sense.”

Bruce nodded in agreement. “That’s one way of putting it. I’m surprised Stane let him watch your old Captain America films. Then again, what better propaganda to use. No offense.”

“None taken. My main job was selling war bonds.” Steve held up his hand as a sign of peace, knowing full well what his films had been used for.

“Thank you, Dr. Banner,” Peggy spoke. “Did the results come back yet?”

Bruce blew out a puff of air. “I don’t have the complete results, but I don’t think Tony has any of the serum in him.”

“So he’s okay?” Steve asked, releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I wouldn’t say he’s okay.” Bruce worried his lower lip. “He’s underweight, and I have a whole list of other issues that will take time heal. Kid’s got a good heart, though.”

“Thanks, Bruce,” Steve said. “I know this hasn’t been easy on you.”

Bruce forced a nervous laugh. “So far the Other Guy hasn’t come out, but I’m being careful.”

The door to Tony’s room swung open, revealing the Stark heir who wore a scowl. “I can hear you all out here, you know.” He turned his attention to Bruce. “Come on, doc! I’ve been waiting to read over your stuff.”

“I’ll talk to you guys later,” Bruce said as he stepped into Tony’s room.

“Tony, I-” The door slammed Steve’s face before he could finish. Steve stared dejectedly at the door, a hand squeezing his shoulder.

“Like Dr. Banner said, he needs some time. Don’t take it personally, Steve.” Peggy assured.

The sound of Bruce and Tony’s laughing filtered through the door.

“Yeah, well it feels personal.”

**…**

Natasha was in Steve’s face the moment he returned to headquarters. “Did he like it?” His face twisted into one of confusion before Natasha spoke again. “The game system. Did Tony like it?” She repeated.

“I dunno,” Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t really get a chance to talk to him all that much. He doesn’t seem to like me. Bruce could probably tell you though if you want to call him.”

Natasha picked up on the bitterness from Steve’s last sentence.“What are you talking about? Of course he likes you, Tony practically squeezed the life out of you when you found him.”

Steve shook his head and moved to take a seat on the couch in the common area. “No, he likes Captain America. I was just Steve Rogers today. Or as Tony put it a caveman.”

A sharp laugh sliced through the room as heavy boots beat across the floor. “Good one! I think I like this kid.” Clint grinned while sitting next to Steve; Natasha joining them. “How’s he doing? I got caught up on some intel we got on Stane.”

“He’s looking a bit better.” Steve swallowed dryly. “But still is a bit upset we took him.” He didn’t think it was worth mentioning that Tony had thrown him out of his room just hours ago.

“Little man needs to stop buggin’, but I see where he’s coming from. Growing up with that sleazeball is all he knew, why should he trust us?”

Steve stared at Clint blankly. “I only caught the last half of that.” He said, still trying to process the new words.

“Oh my gosh, Steve!” Natasha said, the inflection of her tone mimicking a valley girl. “Clint’s saying that Tony is a total Dexter who doesn’t know any better. He’s not trying to dis us, we just gotta get the 411 on him. Can you relate?” She asked while twirling a strand of her hair for show.

Steve bursted into a fit of laughter. “Nat, is that how kids are talking now? I still can’t get over what people are wearing. What did you say?” He pulled his notebook from his pocket with a pen and started to jot down all the words he didn’t know.

“Please, never talk like a val again.” Clint gagged, his nose scrunched in discontent.

“A val?” Steve repeated while still writing what Natasha had said down.

“A valley girl,” Clint informed with an eye roll. “They tend to talk like how Nat was just now and basically live at the mall.”

Steve tucked his notebook and pen back into the pocket of his bomber jacket. “I’ve been trying to watch more television, but it’s like no one’s speaking English anymore.”

“Don’t sweat it, Cap.” Clint clasped his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “We know what you’re saying. Tony should definitely know what you’re saying considering.”

“I’m not sure if I follow...” Steve said his brow quirked in Clint’s direction. He was sure Bruce had mentioned something similar earlier, but to actually know what Tony had been exposed to would be helpful in understanding him.

“Stane couldn’t just lock the kid up with books, right?” Clint began, “He had Tony watching stuff from your era, but also slipped in some stuff from later decades. I was going through some things Coulson had S.H.I.E.L.D take from the bunker. Found copy of Pinocchio and Casablanca with a few others that came out after you went under.”

Steve brightened at the familiar titles.“I never saw Pinocchio, but Casablanca is a great film. Buck and I saw that in theaters at least four or five times.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen it.” Clint replied, dully.

Natasha and Steve look stunned, both gawking as if Clint was from another planet.

“Hey! I grew up in circus, remember?” He said before either of his teammates could give him a hard time.

“Speaking of growing up,” Natasha pursed her lips while tilting her head in Steve’s direction. “Steve failed his mission on finding out what Tony wanted for his birthday.”

Clint groaned, dramatically throwing his head over the back of the couch. “Phil already ordered a cake.”

“Coulson did that?” Steve asked, his tone one of surprise. The only thing the soldier had seen the agent get excited about was Captain America memorabilia and completing reports.

“I know he seems soulless, but the man isn’t a robot.” Clint defended, “Even he wants Tony to have a nice birthday.”

“Did Bruce mention when Tony will be released?” Natasha asked, doing her best not to pry too much about the visit Steve was clearly upset about.

Steve shook his head again. “No, they’re still running test and he mentioned some other health issues, but they didn’t seem life threatening.”

“He’s far too thin,” Natasha clicked her tongue in disapproval. “but I suppose if we must we can have the party at the hospital.”

“Only if we can bring outside food. No one deserves the slop medical bay serves as a birthday meal.”  Clint added, sticking his tongue out in disgust from the many memories of suffering through hospital food.

“It’s not that bad.” Steve’s face shifted, his brows knitted solemnly.

Clint mimicked the soldier's expression as he replied, “No offense, but you’ll eat anything, Cap."

“There’s no sense in wasting food.” Steve argued. He truly disliked how wasteful the world had become. He couldn’t imagine throwing away food that was edible, no matter how bland or bad it tasted.

“We’re not wasting, we’re celebrating. Special occasions call for special food.” Natasha explained, already knowing Steve’s stance on the issue.

“Yeah! We need big everything. I’ll tell Phil to get a pizza so big it barely fits through the door.” Clint rubbed his hands together in excitement as he kept listing off things to get for the party.

“Clint, I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Natasha interrupted him, her voice stern.

“Why not?” The archer asked, his expression becoming baffled.

“Just trust me, keep it small.” She insisted.

Clint and Steve shrugged at one another. They were used to Natasha being cryptic and chalked it up to Natasha being Natasha.

**…**

 

Tony sat in his room, his papers taped on the walls to draw attention away from the otherwise sterile appearance of his ‘home’. At least in the bunker he had DUM-E and U. He hoped S.H.I.E.L.D hadn’t dismantled them, but Bruce said he had yet to hear on what happened to Tony’s belongings. He fiddled with the tape that secured the IV that was in his arm and chewed on the inside of his cheek. It was clear he wouldn’t be staying here forever, and going back to the bunker wasn’t an option - no matter how much Tony wished.  

The man who went by Coulson had mentioned Tony had inherited all of what was left of the Stark family, including Stark Industries, but what should have excited him only served as a source of terror. The dread following the news made him wish the DNA test had come back negative. Tony had no idea how to run a company, that had always been Obie’s job. The only thing Tony was good at was research and development. From his short time in S.H.I.E.L.D’s care, Tony quickly learned the Cold War, while still ongoing, was not as feared by the American public like it had been in the past. In fact, Coulson or Agent as Tony liked to call him, assured him that it would be ending soon. Tony didn’t know what to do with himself. No war meant no weapons. He wouldn’t be needed anymore.

Tony felt his hand twitch and hissed as he bit the inside of his mouth too hard. The thought of the arc reactor still being in the bunker lingered in the back of his mind. He couldn’t let anyone get their hands on it, even in its unfinished state it would be dangerous in the right person’s hands.

“Tony?”

Tony’s head snapped toward the door, his eyes wide with panic. Bruce held his hands up, waiting for Tony to relax before moving forward.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I knocked, but I should’ve waited for you to answer.” Bruce’s tone remained calm as he moved to stand by Tony’s bedside.

Tony shrugged. Bruce was one of the few people he talked to, but he didn’t like being caught off guard. That was the nice thing about the bunker, he could always hear Obie opening the vault door and prepare himself.

“Okay…” Bruce spun around on his heel before turning to face Tony again. “Let’s start over. How are you today, Tony?” He asked with a crooked smile.

“I’m still here. I think you already know how I feel about that.” Tony snapped, his heart still racing.

“It’s for your best interest. We just want to help you.” Bruce replied.

“Yeah, well I’m really tired of people doing things in my ‘best interest’. Did you at least being me more articles? I’m starting to lose my mind in here.” Tony raked his fingers through his hair, managing to make his bed head look even worse.

“You finished what I left you already? Impressive. I’ll bring you some more by the end of the day, but first,” Bruce grasped the IV stand hooked up to Tony and offered his hand. “We’re going down the hall.”

“More tests?” Tony whined. “I’m telling you the truth! Obie never injected me with anything. I built weapons, I didn’t become one.”

“I didn’t say you were a weapon, Tony. I never meant to imply it, either. If anyone here is a weapon it’s me.” Bruce growled, his teeth grating as he took deep breaths.

The sight of green tinging Bruce’s skin caused Tony to freeze. Bruce didn’t talk too much about the effects of the gamma radiation, but the articles were more than enough to understand what was happening. “I’m sorry,” Tony was swift to say, “I won’t say that again.”

Bruce’s shoulders relaxed as he took another deep breath, his eyes squeezing shut and reopening after he counted down from ten. “You don’t need to apologize, that wasn’t very nice of me. I’m sorry, Tony.”  It hurt to see Tony braced as if he were going to strike him. Bruce could feel the anger bubbling up in his chest again, but this time it was directed at Obadiah Stane. He’d need to remember to mention this to Coulson and Peggy.

“Tony,” Bruce took a step back and straightened his lab coat. “I want you to know I’d never hit you. No one here will, I promise.”

Tony kept his head down as he slowly stood from the bed. “Let’s go.” His voice was toneless and movements stiff.

Bruce said nothing, merely held the door open for Tony and escorted him down the hall.

“This isn’t the way we usually take…” Tony muttered while his eyes darted anxiously around the unfamiliar hallway.

“We’re in a different room today.” Bruce replied, hoping it sounded as reassuring as he thought it did. He had never been good at lying, but the chances of Tony following someone else when asked were slim. “Here we are.” Bruce opened the door, the lights flicking on to reveal most of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents Tony had met.

“Happy Birthday, Tony!” The voices melded together to become one booming sentence that filled the room.

Tony went rigid, his eyes blinking owlishly at everyone in the room. He could see a table with a large cake and a stack of presents, but before he could fully study anything else his feet were moving and taking him back toward his room.

Steve’s face fell, his smile morphing until he was left staring with his mouth open at where Tony once stood. Looking around the room, it was clear everyone had a similar expression on their face; except for Natasha who was already running out the door.

**…**

 

Natasha found Tony huddled next to the vending machine that was outside his room, his head tucked against his knees whil he leaned against wall out of sight from most.

“I told them to keep it small...it’s overwhelming isn’t it?” She spoke as approached cautiously. “To have nothing and then be presented with everything. You feel like you don’t deserve it.”

Tony nodded, keeping his face tucked between his knees.

Natasha knelt across from the genius. “It’s okay to feel that way, but know that you’re wrong, медвежонок. You deserve happiness.”

“...Did you just call me ‘little bear’?” Tony lifted his head, his lip quirked in a confused grin.

“You speak?” Natasha was surprised, but schooled her features to hide any trace of being caught off guard.

Tony relaxed a bit, his body uncurling from itself. “I figured if we were at war with a country it would be good to know the language.”

“You’re not scared?” She knew Obadiah had filled Tony’s head with lies, but there was some truth in them. Even with her perfectly crafted American accent she wasn’t sure how Tony would react around her.

“Should I be?” he inquired, but didn’t wait for Natasha’s answer. “You don’t seem like you want to hurt me.”

A weight began to sink in the pit of her stomach as she looked at Tony who stared at her with curious eyes. His child-like naivety was endearing, but she knew many would take advantage of it. “No, no one here wants to hurt you.”

“That’s what Bruce said. If one more person says it, then it must be true. Three’s a pattern as they say.”

“I saw some of your work. You’re very smart. S.H.I.E.L.D. would be lucky to have a mind as bright as yours.” Natasha gracefully rose to her feet, her eyes glancing down the hall to see it was still empty. Thankfully the others had taken the hint and remained back in the room.

“Duh!” Tony scoffed. “Really, ‘little bear’, though?”

“We basically found you in a cave, didn’t we?” She playfully arched her eyebrow before cracking a smile.

Tony chuckled and decided he liked it when Natasha smiled. “...All of that was really for me, huh?” he asked as the back of his head hit the wall behind him.

She hummed in response before speaking, “You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to.”

Tony gripped the IV stand next to him and carefully pulled himself to his feet. Natasha unknowingly reached out in fear of Tony falling, but remained motionless when she felt small arms envelop her.

“I haven’t had cake in a long time...Jarvis was the only one who made me cake on my birthday.” Tony mumbled as let go of Natasha’s waist. “Your name is Natasha, isn’t it?” He hoped he had remembered correctly. At first Tony had wanted to call them all Agent, but that was too confusing.

After a beat Natasha answered, “Yes, медвежонок. You can call me Nat or Tasha, the others seem to like those.”

“Nat...let’s go back and get my cake.” Tony cheered as he pumped his fist into the air.

Natasha walked beside Tony, matching the boy’s stride so as not to get too far ahead of him. “Clint may have eaten it all by now.” She said in jest, but knowing the archer there was a good chance at least one pizza was gone by now.

“He better not have!” Tony grumbled, taking Natasha’s comment in earnest. When they both entered the room almost everyone was standing in the same place. The murmurs died out as all eyes focused on Tony and Natasha.

“What are you all standing around for? Eat! That’s what happens at parties, right?” Tony asked in all seriousness. This had been the most people Tony had ever been with at one time. Actually the people in the room where the most he’d met in his entire life.

“Thank god!” Clint opened the nearest box of pizza and started to pile slices onto his plate.

Peggy approached Tony, her heels clicking against the tile floor as she handed him the first slice of cake. Tony hesitated with an outstretched hand before withdrawing his arm. “Could you set that on the table, please? I, uh...I don’t really like to be handed things.”

“Of course, Tony.” Peggy said as she followed his instructions. 

Tony took a bite of his cake and covered his mouth as his lips puckered. He didn’t remember icing being this sweet, but it didn’t stop him from taking another bite. When Clint asked if he wanted another piece Tony found himself answering ‘yes’ before he could fully comprehend that he was getting full.

“Woah!” Clint intervened after Tony went to get a third piece. “Slow down, you’re gonna make yourself sick. Trust me, I’m talking from personal experience.”

Tony blushed, the slight ache in his stomach becoming more prominent after he paused from eating. Clint ruffled Tony’s hair, “Don’t worry. Cake’s not going anywhere.”

“Natasha said you were going to eat it all…” Tony pouted.

“If it was my birthday cake I would, but it’s yours, Tony. You can have cake whenever you want from now on.” Clint assured as he eyed the large amount of cake leftover.

Tony nodded in agreement. While it was tempting, he’d save the cake for celebrations; otherwise it wouldn’t be as special.

He chatted with everyone and thanked them all profusely for the gifts. Natasha said he could open them later in his room, which he gladly agreed to. It was all still surreal to him that this what life was supposed to be like. Obie had painted the world to be a cruel and unforgiving place, but so far Tony had experienced an abundance of kindness.

A loud yawn could be heard over the chatter and it was only after it had happened that Tony realized it was what Bruce said most would consider rude. He could feel heat creeping up his neck and into his cheeks, but no one seemed to bat an eye.

“I think it’s time for you to go get some rest.” Bruce voiced gently.

“Aw, c’mon,” Tony carped just loud enough for Bruce to hear, or so he thought. “I used to stay up for days at a time. I’m fine, Doc.”

Steve and the rest of the team caught the last of Tony’s sentence and the soldier added that to the list of questions to ask Stane when they found him.

Bruce glanced at Steve before looking back to Tony with an uneasy smile. “I know, but a lot happened today. I don’t want you to overexert yourself.”

The thought of being tired was starting register. All Tony had done was talk to people today, but he felt as if he had run marathon. “Okay.” he agreed.

As Bruce led Tony to the door, but he stopped in front of Steve, holding out his hand, “Thank you...I’m sorry for the other day.”

“Apology accepted,” Steve shook Tony’s hand firmly. “I understand. I reacted the same way when I woke up here. It takes some getting used to.”

“Yeah…” Tony trailed off his eyes feeling heavy. “Well, see you around, Capsicle.” 

Peggy came over as Tony walked away. “You got a sentence out of him. That’s a start.” 

“It is...now if we could just find Stane.” Steve sighed sullenly. With the exit of the guest of honor the party began to wind down and with it everyone's mood. From the corner of his eye, Steve could see Natasha gathering Tony’s gifts. He didn’t know and may never know what she said to Tony, but it clearly had made the Stark heir trust them all more.

The warmth of a hand covering his own was almost enough to make Steve’s knees feel weak. He glimpsed at the hand, following the arm up to see who it belonged to.

“Everything all right?” Peggy inquired, “You look a bit peaky.”

“Fine.” Steve forced himself to pull his hand away, his eyes lingering on Peggy’s lips that no longer adorned her trademark red lipstick. From the way her brow furrowed faintly Steve knew Peggy was about to push, but he was one step ahead of her. “I’m going to go make sure Tony’s okay.”

It was a cowardly move, but Steve couldn’t handle Peggy trying to take care of him. Not right now, anyway. Turning the corner, Steve could see Bruce’s hands clenched into fists - a hole in the wall adjacent to his right hand.

“Dr. Banner, you need to calm down.” Steve ordered, his voice stern as if he were talking to a soldier. A hand automatically moved to his comm, ready to alert the others if needed.

“Easy for you to say!” A snarl ripped through Bruce as he spoke.

“Bruce, Tony is down the hall. Don’t do this.”

Bruce weakly gestured for Steve to follow him, his chest still heaving. “I’m sorry...you need to see this.”

He brought Steve to the waiting area where a TV was usually on mute. Steve recognized the CNN logo and cursed when he saw the text scrolling across the bottom of the screen.

****STARK STOCK CONTINUES TO DROP.** OBADIAH STANE WANTED FOR ESPIONAGE AND KIDNAPPING. IS ANTHONY STARK ALIVE? **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter spiraled out of control a bit, I didn't expect it to be this long. I hope everyone has a happy holiday(s)! The next chapter may take awhile since school, work, and the holidays will take up a majority of my time. But I did just make a Tumblr if anyone would like to check it out! My name on there is catbelwrites since catbel was taken. Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Tony yelped, startled by the sudden bang that echoed throughout the hallway. His heart beat rapidly against his chest while the sound of rushing blood filled his ears. Had S.H.I.E.L.D. lied to him? He began calculating the possibility of this being a trap and ran all routes of escape through his head. A choked gasp crawled out from his throat, and Tony realized he couldn’t breathe. His hands clumsily fumbled for the call button near his bed, his fingers rapidly pressing the button in a rhythmic pattern as his vision blurred.

When he opened his eyes again, Tony could see Bruce leaning over him but couldn’t make out what Bruce was saying.

“Tony, you’re going to be okay,” Bruce said with his hand resting lightly on Tony’s chest. “You’re having a panic attack. You have to calm down.”

Peggy lingered outside Tony’s room as Steve rushed in with a cold glass of water. He pushed his way past Bruce, tilting the glass to Tony’s mouth as he held the inventor’s hand. Steve forced himself to smile reassuringly, but he was certain it came off as more of a grimace. His eyes met with Tony’s as he took deep breaths in hopes of Tony following his lead.

After a few minutes, Steve could feel Tony’s breathing even out. “Do you want some more water?” he asked with the cup ready in hand.

Tony shook his head while still focusing on getting his breathing back under control.

Bruce observed the scene before him, thoroughly impressed by Steve’s bedside manner with Tony. He almost asked how Steve knew how to handle a panic attack so well, but then he remembered the man was solider. For Steve the war was only a year ago and Bruce started to worry about Steve was living on his own.

“I’m okay,” Tony managed to croak, the rims of his eyes red and puffy. “I didn’t mean to freak out like that.”

“What caused it?” Steve urged, wanting to prevent another attack from happening if possible. The morse code Tony had been tapping out for help hadn’t gone unnoticed by Steve, but he couldn’t see any points of a security breach in the room.

Tony retracted his hand from Steve’s as if he were burned. “Nothing, it’s stupid. There was a loud noise I wasn’t expecting...thought someone was going to break in.”

Bruce’s heart sank. He had caused Tony’s panic attack because he couldn’t control his anger.

“Bruce?” Tony questioned as the doctor turned to leave the room. He wanted to call out for Bruce to come back, but his throat seized up followed by a series of coughs.

The hacking noises were painful for Steve to hear, reminding him of his own original sickly state and his mother’s fatal bout with tuberculosis. Without a word Steve passed the glass of water to Tony and thankfully the coughing subsided.

“I think Dr. Banner just needs a moment to himself. You didn’t do anything wrong, Tony.” Steve turned and mouthed ‘later’ to Peggy who still stood in the doorway.  From the way the boy’s eyes drooped, Steve could tell Tony was even more exhausted than he was earlier during the party. “Get some rest. Hit the button if you need anything.” Steve tapped the button in the same pattern Tony had, handing it to him with a smile.

“How medieval.” Tony replied before rolling over to face away from Steve.

Out in the hall, Steve quietly closed the door behind him. “We have a problem.” He said low enough for only Peggy to hear.

“Does it have something to do with the large hole in the wall I passed?” Peggy’s lips were pressed into a thin line.

Steve sighed. “Kind of...let’s move this to a more private room. The entire team needs to be brought up on the situation.”

“Steve, what on earth is going on?” Peggy asked, her voice growing wary.

“Someone leaked that Tony may still be alive. Bruce saw it on the news.”

“Those bloody morons,” Peggy’s voice rose in anger. “They were only supposed to broadcast Stane’s charge of treason.”

Steve didn’t have the luxury of getting details from Peggy now. They needed to get control of the situation before anything else was released. “Can you gather the others? I need to go check on Banner.”

“They should all still be in the room we had the party in. Meet us there.” Peggy commanded before striding off down the hall.

**...**

It didn’t take long for Steve to find Bruce. The doctor had taken sanction in his lab, classical music lilting throughout the open space. “Bruce, you didn’t know. Don't do this yourself.” Steve said, softly.

Bruce banged his fist against the counter. “The day was almost perfect. He was so happy…”

“Tony’s still happy. Besides, it’s better than the alternative,” argued Steve, his hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

“The Other Guy has a soft spot for him, too. It may have been better.” Bruce mused aloud as his fist clenched and unclenched at his sides.

“We’ll leave that for another day.” Steve said, his expression hardening. “I’m calling a meeting now. You think you’re well enough to attend?”

Bruce chuckled weakly under his breath.“Yeah...just...yeah, give me a minute. Where is it at?”

“Party room.” Steve winced as the words left his mouth. It wasn’t the most appropriate atmosphere, but it would have to do.  

Bruce blinked at him for a moment before speaking. “Seriously? I’ll be there, Steve. I need five minutes to clear my head.”

**...**

When Steve entered the room, the decorations from Tony’s party were still up, making the seriousness of the situation almost seem surreal. He joined the others who were seated at the tables they had rearranged into a circle formation.

“We have a breach,” Steve stated sternly to gather the attention of everyone in the room. “It was discovered that intel about Tony was given to the press. From where the information came from we’re still trying to confirm.”

“What kind of intel?” Natasha’s bit out sharply, the warmth she had shown early nowhere to be seen.

“CNN is reporting Tony may still be alive.” Bruce growled as he slide into the room. “Sorry for my outburst...wasn’t expecting to see that.”

“I thought the media was only to know Stane was wanted for espionage?” Phil was the first to question.

“They were,” Peggy answered curtly. “But it seems like someone either leaked the information on purpose or it was given in error. Nick is contacting the FBI and CIA now to get this mess sorted out.”

Clint’s hands moved in a flurry of movements, signing in a rush to Natasha who sat next to him.The archer fiddled with his hearing aid, growing frustrated that the batteries have fizzled out. Natasha moved her hands just as quickly as Clint, finally pointing to her lips.

“Gotcha. Let me know who’s talking so I can follow along.” Clint said a bit too loudly, still confused as to why everyone seemed on edge.

“I think what’s most important thing is deciding on what our next course of action will be. The damage is done.” Natasha made sure Clint had a clear view of her face as she spoke.

“Agreed. The world was going to find out about Tony sooner or later. This just moves our time table up a bit sooner than we would’ve liked.” Peggy explained, her brows scrunched together in thought.

“Tony’s asleep...we can ask him tomorrow what he wants to do.” Steve countered.

“Do you really think that’s best?” Coulson looked around the table at everyone in the room.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Tony is capable of making his own decisions. Last I checked, you aren’t his handler.” Clint said with narrowed eyes.

“Calm down, that isn’t what I said,” Phil was sure to face Clint. “But Tony needs to understand what he’s choosing. He’s not going to get a moment of peace once the media finds out he’s alive. Stark may be better off here.”

“So what? You want to lock him away?!” Clint hissed, his nostrils flaring. “Keep him isolated like that monster did?”

“Barton, stand down!” Steve’s voice boomed in the small room. “We will let Tony decide and handle the situation from there. We aren’t going to keep him against his will.”

“Funny, because from where I’m sitting that’s exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D seems to want to do.” Clint pushed away from the table, storming out of the room with Natasha at his heels.

Steve closed his eyes and counted down from ten to calm himself. “Well, this could’ve gone a lot better.”

**...**

Phil trailed behind Clint and Natasha, preparing to apologize when he overheard them in the hallway from the examination room they had ducked into.

“If this is what S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers Initiative stand for I’m out, Nat. I joined to be one of the good guys. We both did.” Clint’s voice carried outside of the room.

The distinct sound of Natasha sighing came next. “Clint...Coulson had a good point. The media will follow Tony wherever he goes when they find out he’s alive. No matter what happens, he won’t have a normal life.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try to give him one!” Clint barked.

“You’re getting too close to this. We can’t let our personal-” Natasha’s voice was overpowered, spoken over by Clint’s. “That’s bullshit and you know it. You like the kid, I can tell.”

Coulson could hear what he could only assume was Natasha grabbing the front of Clint’s shirt, her voice strained, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think S.H.I.E.L.D was doing what’s right. I’ve got red in my ledger; I’d like to wipe it out. I know you do, too.”

The rustle of fabric followed by a thump prefaced the low grumble of Clint’s reply, “I’m staying here tonight to keep an eye on him.”

“If you must.” Natasha relented, her footsteps coming closer to the hallway. Coulson tensed turning to walk away as if he were just passing by when suddenly Natasha was next to him.

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Agent Coulson.” Her tone was indifferent, yet Natasha smirked.

For a moment Coulson didn’t know what to say and swallowed dryly. “You knew I was here.”

“You’re right, I did.” Natasha replied, her lips lingering near Coulson’s ear before she walked away. “Think about that.”

Coulson felt a shiver run through his spin, the heat of Natasha’s breath lingering on his skin. He could only watch as the infamous Black Widow strode off gracefully. His knees weakened, and Coulson leaned against the wall for support. At this point he was going to die young and poor. He really needed to ask Fury for a raise and higher clearance next time they met.

**...**

Tony woke with a jolt. For a moment the white walls of his room seemed disorienting, but then he remembered he wasn’t in the bunker anymore.

“Bad dream?” A familiar voice inquired, causing Tony to whip his head to what was once an empty chair near his bedside.

“Where did you come from?” Tony asked incredulously.

Clint pointed up to the ceiling with a nonchalant grin. “The vents, but that’s not important. I brought you cake.” He held up a plate decorated with balloons that was wrapped in saran wrap.

Tony’s forehead scrunched in confusion while he took the plate from Clint’s hand. Cake was for a special occasion and to his knowledge there wasn’t anything special about today. “For breakfast?”

“It’ll be our secret.” Clint winked while he licked a bit of icing off his thumb.

Tony took small bites of his leftover cake, savoring each bite as if it were his last. From the corner of his eye he could see Clint’s eyes darting around the room as the archer fiddled with one of his hearing aids.

“Listen, Tony…”

And there it was, Tony thought. He’d gotten fairly good at reading body language over the years. From his own unfortunate experiences with Obadiah’s rage and from Jarvis helping him pick up little ticks most people showed when under duress.

Tony put the half eaten piece of cake onto the nightstand and looked at Clint with a look of hopelessness. “I knew it was too good to be true. Spill it.” You’re getting rid of me because I’m not useful. You’re going to lock me up again.  The negative thoughts raced on in the back of his mind.

Clint’s hand rested on Tony’s knee. “Word got out about your situation. You’re going to have to make a choice.”

“A choice?” Tony parroted, the question more to himself than to Clint.

“We won’t be able to hide you forever.” Clint continued. “I don’t think you want to stay hidden, either. You have a choice in staying away from the world, or showing everyone who you are.”

You can stay. You can go outside. You can meet more people. Tony’s lip twitched, transforming from his mask of  indifference into a genuine smile.

Clint returned the smile, moving his hand to ruffle Tony’s hair. “You got time to think about it. I just wanted to let you know this is your choice, Tony. Whatever you choose we’ll support you. Do you understand?”

“Thanks, Clint. I’ll think about it.” Tony replied. “Are those giving you trouble?” He tilted his head, trying to get a better look at Clint’s hearing aids.

“Yeah, damn things either cut out or give terrible feedback,” Clint removed the hearing aids and placed them into Tony’s outreached hand. “I can read lips, though. I’m not a total loss.”

Tony hummed, holding them up as if he were examining a precious gem. “They’re a bit bulky,” He said with his lip curled in distaste, “Do you mind if I keep one to work on?”

“Go ahead and take the left one, it keeps goin’ out anyway.” Clint took the one hearing aid back and placed it back into his ear with practiced ease.

A beeping noise came from Clint’s hip and the man swore under his breath. “Sorry, duty calls.” Clint held up the pager as he stood. “Think about it. Have them page me if you need anything.”

Tony couldn’t get a word in edgewise with Clint practically out the door during his last sentence.

He had choices. Real choices that would have an effect on his life unlike before. A laugh bubbled up and caught him by surprise.

**...**

The request of a meeting from Tony caught everyone by surprise. It had only been a day since Clint announced to the team that Tony knew about the situation. They had gathered in Tony’s room, doing their best to all find a place to comfortably sit or stand.

“Thanks for coming. I’m sure you all are busy with whatever it is you do,” Tony spoke from his bed, his fingers nervously drumming against his crossed legs. “But, uh, I think Bruce has some news first.”

Bruce seemed to shrink in on himself as all the eyes in the room turned on him. “Right...sorry didn’t realize this was going to be brought up. Like Tony said, there is some good news. He’s clear to leave as long as he sticks to a healthy diet and keeps taking the vitamins and other supplements he’s been prescribed,” Bruce adjusted his glasses, his expression shifting from clinical to stern, “That being said. I believe it would be best for Tony not to live alone.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Which I would like a second opinion on. I’ve lived alone basically all my life and I think I did okay. All my toes and fingers are accounted for.”

“This is different and you know it.” Bruce retorted through a tired sigh.

“Debatable, but not why everyone is here.” Tony was quick to change the subject again, his sing song tone growing more serious.  “I’ve decided I want to have a press conference. With Obie being gone someone needs to step up and run the company.”

“And you’re sure this is what you want?” Steve eyed Tony, the idea of someone so young running a company not settle well with him.

“I have to. I saw the news. The company’s stock is dropping and people want nothing to do with Stark Industries. I can’t let my dad’s company crumble, it’s all I have.” The answer came as if it were obvious. Tony generally didn’t handle the business to business side of Stark Industries, but he knew the products and the competitors, Obie had made sure of that.

Clint spoke before anyone could start arguing with Tony. “Kid, if that’s what you want we’ll be here to help you.”

“I know a few people at Stark Industries, I can arrange for them to meet with you and get everything set up with the press.” Natasha added confidently.

The room filled with excited chatter, each person devising a plan on how to help Tony before, during, and after the press conference. All except for Peggy who remained stoic, her eyes trained on the wall in front of her.

“Tony…” Peggy said suddenly, causing the room to grow silent. “I was thinking and if you would like you could come stay with me.”

Steve was surprised by Peggy’s offer, recalling how earlier she had seemed hesitant to welcome Tony into her home. He didn’t expect Peggy glare at him next, her brows arched in inquiry. “Steve, did you have something to say?”

“No, why would I?” He asked slowly, his confusion mounting.

The wrinkle between Peggy’s brow deepened. “You just said ‘what?’.”

“I-I did?” Steve stammered, the tips of his ears growing red.

“Can I think about it?” Tony interrupted, seeing Steve needed a save. “I want to see what all my options are.”

“Of course, Tony. You can stay wherever you like as long as you have some supervision.” Peggy answered, her gaze never leaving Steve.

“I’d still like that second opinion.” Tony huffed, not saying anything as Steve and Peggy silently walked out into the hall.

**...**

“What the hell was that about?” She bit out the moment the door closed.

“I didn’t mean to say that in front of everyone, I’m sorry,” Steve said sincerely. “But not that long ago you said you couldn’t take him in.”

“I said my family may oppose, not that I couldn’t. Do not twist my words, Steve. I spoke to them about it. It’s fine. The children moved out long ago, anyway.”

“What about…” Steve couldn’t even say his name. Thankfully, even Peggy wasn’t cruel enough to go into an in depth discussion about her husband.

“It’s fine. Even if he didn’t agree I’d make it work.” Peggy said with determination.

“And you want this? You want Tony there?” Steve continued to pry.

“Of course I do!” Peggy snapped, “How dare you insinuate I don’t care for the boy. Howard and Maria were my friends. Tony’s my godson!”

“That isn’t what I meant!” Steve felt like he was swallowing his tongue.

“I think it is, Steve. My home is the most stable environment for him. He deserves a chance at a normal life...as normal as life with us can get, anyway.” Her hand twisted the doorknob, only stopping when Steve spoke again.

“You’re right. He does deserve a normal life, but I’m more concerned about the life he wants.”

The door opened and with a deafening click it closed, leaving Steve with only his thoughts.

**...**

Tony was out of luck in regards to a doctor agreeing he was well enough to live alone. S.H.I.E.L.D. had even been gracious enough to send his charts, granted with his name redacted, to a third party doctor who also agreed a patient in Tony’s condition was better with someone nearby. Tony grit his teeth at the news, but knew it was best to quit while he was ahead. It wasn’t like this would be a permanent arrangement. Besides, Tony hadn’t always been alone in the bunker, either. Jarvis had lived with him for a few years before he left to go help in the war, or so he was told.

  
His options had all been laid out on the table, literally. Coulson seemed to have a file folder packed with handouts, no matter the occasion. At the thought of Jarvis, Tony recalled his tales of Peggy Carter and his father, Howard, before he had met his mother. The probability of her knowing about Jarvis’ whereabouts were the highest out of anyone at S.H.I.E.L.D and with that train of thought, Tony had agreed to go live at Peggy’s.

The arrangements for the move were rapid.It had only been a few days and Tony was almost set leave the medical bay. Coulson has requested a list of things Tony would like retrieved from Stark Manor and of course at the top of the list were any and all of his projects and his bots. He needed the blue prints and prototype for the arc reactor in his hands before they managed to get misplaced or worse; taken.

A knock caught Tony off guard. Peggy wasn’t supposed to come pick him up for at least another hour or so. “Yeah?”

“Hey,” Steve’s voice grew louder as he opened the door. “I wanted to see if you needed any help before Peggy got here.”

“Because I have so much here.” Tony gestured to the pile of papers he had taken down from his wall and placed into a folder.

“Oh, right…” Steve tried to sound as neutral as possible, but he knew he was coming across as flustered. “I told Coulson I would help get all your things from the bunker. He said you had quite a long list.”

“My entire life is down there. You should let Agent know I’ll know if so much as a single blueprint is unaccounted for.” Tony scowled.

“Tony, I promise S.H.I.E.L.D won’t take anything. I’ll oversee the move myself.” Steve held out his hand for Tony to shake.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Tony grasped Steve’s hand in a firm handshake, “You’ll be the first person I call if so much as a nut and bolt are missing.”

Steve laughed, knowing Tony was being completely serious. “I won’t let you down. You’re sure you don’t need anything?”

“A time machine.” Tony deadpanned.

Steve's mouth twitched, “I don’t think those are around yet, although Clint did mention a movie about it I’ve been meaning to watch."

There was an awkward pause where Tony merely stared at Steve instead of participating in the conversation.

“Uh…” Steve faltered. “Tony, I wanted you to know that you don’t have to move in with Peggy. We can make other arrangements, it’s not a bother.”

Tony blinked, his eyes widening a bit before he spoke. “Sorry, got lost in thought. I do that sometimes or I talk to myself. I want to, Steve. Jarvis told me about Peggy when he was with me down there.”

“Edwin Jarvis, he was your family’s butler, wasn’t he?” Steve asked, recalling the name from Howard’s file.

“Yes.” Tony hesitated to answer, feeling as though he were being interrogated.

Steve pulled out his notebook from his back  pocket. “And was he always with you?”

Tony worried his lower lip. He didn’t want to talk about Jarvis because he knew doing so would lead to truths. “No...he showed up when I was five or six and left by the time I turned eleven. He wrote me letters for awhile.”

“But you don’t know what happened to him?” Steve pressed.

“Obie said he was busy…” Tony replied with a shrug.

Steve closed the notebook, tucking it back into his pocket. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Really?” Tony relaxed a bit. He couldn’t wrap his head around why everyone here wanted to help him for nothing in return. Since he’d arrived Tony had expected them to ask him to build weapons, but request had never been made.

“It’s what friends are for.” Steve assured with a smile.

“Friends...right. Y-You think of me as a friend?”

Steve felt his smile falter. “Of course I do, Tony. We all do.”

Tony blushed, covering his face for a moment as he regained his composure. “Of course you do, I’m awesome.”

“You really are.” Steve found himself saying aloud.

Another silence settled between the two, this time Tony was the first to speak. “You’ll be the first I go to if I need anything."

After Steve left, Tony couldn’t stop running over what his idol had said. They were friends. It wasn’t like Tony had never had friends before. He had his bots and Obie and Jarvis, but to have Captain America consider him a friend was like a dream come true. Maybe after all this was over he could work with S.H.I.E.L.D and continue to develop weapons for Stark Industries.

**...**

Peggy had arrived right on time, escorting Tony out to her car as he carried his file folder clutched against his chest.

“Are you excited?” She asked while she buckled her seat belt and looked behind her seat as she reversed out of her parking spot.

Tony looked out the window as the scenery flew by, drinking in all the colors and the endless sky. “If Agent came through and brought my stuff, then yes.”

“Agent Coulson brought everything you requested and your robots have been transported to S.H.I.E.L.D.” Peggy replied.

Tony turned from the window to look at Peggy. “Were they okay?”

“I believe so, they weren’t missing pieces.” Peggy’s tone came across as more of a question. 

Tony bit his tongue. Peggy's answer didn't answer his question, but he knew it was a matter of him having to see his bots if he truly wanted a status update. “I’ll have to look at them tomorrow. DUM-E is probably upset I was gone so long.” 

The lulls of silence seemed to keep occurring and Tony wondered if this is what Bruce had talked to him about. To be around people for so long was new; especially without a project to distract him. As if Tony didn’t like socially inept enough, no one seemed to understand that his bots were more than just machines; they were his friends. DUM-E and U were able to express themselves and it wasn’t fair to have left them rotting away while he recovered.

“We’re here.” Peggy’s voice pierced through his thoughts. “Everything all right?”

Tony flinched as Peggy raised her hand, body tensing as he prepared for a hit. Instead he felt a warm, gentle hand against his forehead.

“You don’t feel warm, but I don’t want to risk you catching a cold.” She said as she brought her hand to her forehead.

“Oh…” Was all Tony could say lamely. He stayed sitting in the car a moment longer still processing that Peggy hadn’t hit him. His feet had carried him to the front door, trailing behind Peggy as if he were her shadow.

“All your things are upstairs,” Peggy’s voice was gentle, yet held her usual firmness. “You’ll be staying in my son’s old room. Some of his clothes may fit you, but we’ll go shopping later so you can get some you like.”

“Where’s your daughter?” The question left Tony before he could think if it was polite to ask. He recalled someone mentioning Peggy had two children.

“She’s left the nest as well. It’ll just be you and I mostly. My husband travels a lot for his consultations with the army.”

Tony could feel his chest tightening. He was expecting a crowded home with family dinners and lots interaction, but it was looking like Peggy’s house wouldn’t be all that different from the bunker.

The tour of the house was brief, and in all honesty Tony wanted nothing more than to lock himself away in the new room he would be staying in. He was only catching about half of what Peggy was saying and finally spoke up, “I need to lay down.”

Concern flashed across Peggy’s features, her hand once again going to Tony’s forehead. This time he didn’t flinch. “Hm…” She hummed while looking him over, “You go rest, if you’re not feeling better by dinner I’ll phone Dr. Banner. I’ll come check on you in a little while, okay?”

Tony nodded numbly and went up to the room Peggy had showed him. He closed the door with a soft click, observing the room that still held traces of Peggy’s son. Sure enough there were a few boxes by the nightstand that held Tony’s things. Without thinking he lunged for the boxes, dumping them out onto the floor until he found what he was looking for.

The prototype of the arc reactor.

Tony clutched his work tightly in his palm, a wave of relief washing over him. It was safe. Most of his blueprints and research notes seemed to be there as well. He knew he couldn’t ask for a safe without drawing suspicion upon himself so Tony set to work on rigging up his own. With precision, he dumped out all the desk drawers and sorted out items he could use and ones that would serve him no purpose.

Along with his own devices, Tony was able to craft a small trap should anyone try to nose around his things. After an hour or so of tinkering, Tony had created a false bottom to the desk drawer and inserted one of his many circuit boards under it. If anyone were to force it open they would receive a nasty shock that would hopefully deter them.

A satisfied grin grew across Tony’s features as he finally sat on the bed. When his eyes had drifted shut he wasn’t sure, but the aroma garlic mixed with heated spices caused his stomach to growl fiercely. His eyes shot open the familiar smell bringing back memories. Parsnip soup. Jarvis used to make him curried parsnip soup.

Tentatively, Tony left his room and creeped down the stairs to the kitchen. Peggy was at the stove with a large pot bubbling and two empty bowls nearby. Just as Tony was about to announce he was here Peggy turned, a startled gasp leaving her as her hand reached to clutch at her chest.

“Heavens, when did you get there?” She asked through a strained laughed.

Tony shrugged and muttered a weak apology.

“No harm done,” Peggy replied. “Are you hungry? I was just getting ready to bring you dinner. I hope you like -”

“I love parsnip soup,” Tony interjected with a fond look on his face. “Jarvis made it for me all the time.”

“Jarvis? You mean Edwin Jarvis?” Peggy’s posture stiffened, her eyes holding a sense of desperation.

“Yeah, Steve said he was going to try to find him. I haven’t seen him in years.” Tony mentioned as his stomach rumbling.

“Sit down, Tony...I think there’s something you need to know.” Peggy ushered Tony over to the table, guiding him to the nearest chair. “There’s no way for me to say this without upsetting you, and I’m sorry. Please understand, he was a good friend of mine as well. Jarvis is dead.”

Tony laughed nervously, his voice raising in pitch. “But, no. No! He wrote me letters!”

Peggy leaned over from her seat and hugged Tony, her fingers combing through his hair.“Oh, Tony...they probably weren’t really from him. He died years ago, you were probably still a child. It’s Stane, I know it was him. Jarvis clearly knew things he wasn’t supposed to.”

Tony could feel his body trembling, his vision shaking as he gripped the kitchen table. “Obie wouldn’t. No, Obie couldn’t he said Jarvis was coming back after the war.”

“I’m sorry, Tony.” Peggy leaned back into her seat with a pained look.

Tony stood, legs wobbling a bit as he walked back upstairs back to his room. Peggy’s calls feel on deaf ears, the sound of his heart pounding and heavy breathing being all could hear now. Jarvis couldn’t be dead, Tony’s thoughts raced as he tried to recall what Obie said and Jarvis’ letters. He should’ve seen it. Not everything connected, but he never questioned it out of fear of Obadiah or the fear of knowing the truth, Tony wasn’t sure.

**...**

The murmurs melded together, stirring Tony awake. He sniffled a bit as he coughed, his throat feeling scratchy. The digital clock on his nightstand read 9:42 AM and the fog in Tony’s mind slowly receded, allowing him to process that he had fallen asleep crying. Tony sat perfectly still, trying to identify the voices downstairs. One was undoubtedly Peggy’s, but the other voice was deep - clearly male. Tony shot up, his mind fully awakening as his body stumbled out of bed to catch up. It was Jarvis. Clearly he had had a nightmare and had dreamt the whole thing with him and Peggy up. He flung open the door to his room, ignoring the clatter of metal and ceramic against the floor. He stepped in a thick puddle of cold liquid, but Tony didn’t care. By taking the stairs two at a time, Tony ended up in the kitchen in record time. At the table Peggy faced him while the back of a man with short, feathery silver hair sat adjacent to her.

“They aren’t getting my suit. They’ll have to pry it off my cold, dead body before I let that happen.” The man scoffed.

“Jarvis?” The question was barely above a whisper, but to Tony it sounded loud.

The man turned in his seat, revealing a face Tony didn’t recognize. It was clear while the man was older, he was not as old as Jarvis would have been.

“My god, you’re really here...I thought Carter had gone and finally lost her mind,” He stood from his seat, adjusting his well pressed suit before offering his hand to Tony. “Hank Pym of -”

“Pym Technologies.” Tony and Hank said at the same time.

“So you’ve heard of me?” Hank sounded impressed.

Tony eyed the man warily, straightening his posture with a glare. “Obie always taught me to keep knowledge of my enemies close.”

“Seems like the rat took his own advice a little too seriously.” Hank said snidely, causing Peggy to clear her throat. “You really do look just like Howard…”

Peggy cleared her throat. “Hank, not now. I believe if that’s all we will finish our discussion later.”

Hank nodded, reaching down to the briefcase at his feet. He pulled out a file folder and handed it to Peggy, eyeing Tony through the entire transaction. “HYDRA may be out of the picture, but as they say there’s another head to take its place. I think you’ll find what I was able to gather on the Ten Rings in there.” he said while standing as Peggy did. It was clear Hank had overstayed his welcome.

Peggy set the file on the kitchen counter before moving to show Hank to the door. In that short window of time Tony grabbed the folder, scanning the files as fast as he could. It seemed like a pretty standard terrorist organization. One of the many things Obie had been protecting him from. The group’s symbol is what ended up catching Tony’s eye. It was easy to see where the group drew their name from, ten rings formed a circle with a a pair of crossed swords in the center. Before Tony could examine the symbols within the circles more he heard the door close and quickly moved away from the file.  

“Sorry about that. Mr. Pym was an unexpected visitor who couldn’t wait for me to come into the office.” Peggy sighed while moving to clear the mugs from the table.

Tony continued to stand, hoping everything looked as Peggy had left it. “You could’ve gone to work. I’m fine alone.”

“Tony...you didn’t handle last night very well, which is okay. Jarvis-”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Tony hissed through his teeth.

“All right, but I’ll listen when you do wish to talk about.” Peggy knew when not to pry, “I’m running a bit behind schedule so go get changed and I’ll pick up some food for you on the way. I noticed you didn’t eat the dinner I left outside your door.”

Tony still wet feet made him realize what he stepped in during his haste to make it downstairs.“Do I have to hang out in the med bay again?”

“Of course not, in fact Dr. Banner is expecting you in his lab. Your robots are there waiting for you.” Peggy smirked at her surprise announcement.

“Why didn’t you say so?” Tony raced back up the stairs and threw on the first shirt he saw from Peggy’s son’s dresser. It was a bright orange and pink striped shirt that was about two sizes too big, but Tony didn’t care. He grabbed Clint’s hearing aid off the desk and stuffed it into his pocket. Tony shoved his shoes on and was at the door before Peggy had even left the kitchen. “I’m ready when you are.” he called While he waited for Peggy, Tony’s eye caught  the calendar hanging across the foyer in the kitchen.

It was July.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long. I posted on my tumblr (catbelwrites) that chapters may be a bit slower due to my hectic schedule, but I'm not giving up on this! Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha stared at Steve, one of her brows arched perfectly while she smirked. Steve found it difficult to maintain eye contact and quickly glanced down at the floor.

“Can I help you?” He asked as her, as well as himself.

“You never answered what you wanted to do for your birthday this week,” Natasha stated bluntly as she slinked closer to the soldier. “It’s a big year. Turning seventy.”

“I’m going to be twenty six,” Steve corrected, getting tired of people insisting he was seventy. “You guys don’t have to do anything, it’s not a big deal.”

“If you don’t say what you want it’ll become a big deal,”

Steve cringed at the thought of a huge party. He was fine with dinner and going out to see some fireworks.

“That’s what I thought.” She said after Steve’s reaction. “Steve, it’s about you. If you wanted pony rides, I guarantee Coulson would get it for you.”

“R-Really?” Steve stammered in disbelief. The idea of riding a horse seemed thrilling, but to actually have them at a party was a concept Steve couldn’t comprehend. Birthdays were never about gifts or parties for him. He was genuinely happy he had made it another year when his health had been declining.

Natasha smiled coyly. “I think you may be a bit too big for a pony, but I bet we could get horses.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Really, Nat, just celebrating with you all is more than enough. Don’t go through any trouble.”

“If you say so, Captain,” Natasha saluted. “By the way, you talk to Carol from accounting? I hear she’s pretty sweet on you.”

Steve sighed with a playful roll of his eyes. Natasha was constantly trying to play matchmaker with him. He wasn’t sure if it was to help him get over Peggy; or just to get him out and about, but the lists of candidates seemed endless. “Not yet. I don’t think she’s really my type.” Steve replied, hoping the spy wouldn’t call his bluff.

Natasha tilted her head thoughtfully, “And what exactly is your type? I’ve picked girls from all across the board, but none seem to interest you. Unless there’s something you’re not telling me.”

It was Steve’s turn to arch his brow, “What’s that supposed to mean?” he challenged while a sense of unease filled him.

“Nothing.” conceded Natasha, her tone disappointed.  

“Woah,” Clint stopped in his tracks as he walked in on Steve and Natasha’s discussion. “I’m getting some bad vibes, should I leave?”

“No, stay,” Natasha replied, her eyes still trained on Steve. “If I needed to talk to Steve in private I wouldn’t do it in public.”

“‘Kay….well I just wanted to let you guys know Tony is on his way here. Bruce told me they’ll be down in his lab. I’ve been itchin’ to see what those robots can do.” Clint prattled on as he bounced on the balls of his feet like an excited child.

Steve perked up at the information. He had been meaning to call Peggy’s house to check in on Tony, but asking in person was much better.

“I was thinking about taking him down to the carnival in town for the fourth,” Steve heard Clint jabber, “It’s always nice to see what the carnie scene is up to nowadays.”

“That’s perfect!” Steve interrupted. How he hadn’t thought of the idea sooner was beyond him. He and Bucky had always gone to Coney Island when they wanted to celebrate. Even if riding the roller coasters had made Steve sick to his stomach, he couldn’t help but remember their trips as anything besides fun. “Let’s all go to the carnival.”

Clint whooped raising his hand for Steve to high five. The slap of their hands connecting echoed throughout the open room, causing Natasha roll her eyes lightheartedly. The pager on her hip beeped and instantly she knew it was Pepper Potts returning her call.

 

**…**

 

Tony shoved another hand-sized hash brown in his face, his other hand already digging in the McDonald’s bag for the breakfast sandwich he had ordered. He still was in awe that McDonald's had more than just burgers. They were Tony’s favorite since Obie tended to bring them when he was in a good mood.

“Tony, dear. Slow down, the food isn’t going anywhere.” chided Peggy.

“M’sorry,” Tony said while he took a large bite. “S’really good!”

Peggy smiled weakly in return as they pulled into the S.H.I.E.L.D. parking lot. Once the car was parked, Peggy pulled a pair of badges out for her and Tony. “You’ll need this to walk around the building,” she said as she handed the guest badge to Tony. “If you run into any trouble you tell them to contact me, understand?”

Tony nodded, clipping the badge onto his belt before getting out of the car. Badge or no, he was seeing his bots and designing Clint new hearing aids.

Peggy directed Tony to where Bruce’s lab was and he nodded accordingly, walking the way she had said before veering off course as soon as he couldn’t hear her heels clicking against the floor.

It would be a waste to not explore S.H.I.E.L.D while he had a free pass.

The halls of S.H.I.E.L.D. were vast and sterile, the occasional suit walking past him with their noses buried in paperwork. Tony didn’t envy them. He much preferred working with his hands and building than taking care of the everyday stuff.

“Well, who might you be?” A hand clamped onto Tony’s shoulder, holding him in place before he could bolt.

The grip on his shoulder lessened as Tony turned around to see a man with neatly combed blonde hair towering over him.

“Are you lost?” The man asked as he continued to look down at Tony.

“Y-Yes,” Tony lied quickly, “I...uh...Dr. Banner’s lab. I got lost on the way.”

The man crouched down, his eyes trailing up and down Tony’s body. “I’ll be damned the rumors were true. You must be Anthony Stark. I’m Alexander Pierce.” He said as he offered Tony his hand.

Tony shook it quickly, not bothering to grasp firmly. “Yes, that’s me.”

Pierce clicked his tongue as he shook his head. “A shame if what I heard is true. To be held hostage for so many years,”

Tony bit the inside of his cheek, stopping himself from saying he wasn’t held hostage. People tended to get worked up when he said things like that.

“You know, my daughter had been taken hostage once. I truly believed negotiating was the way to help,” said Pierce as he ushered Tony down the hall. “Nick would tell you that isn’t the case. If not for him who knows what would’ve happened to her. I suppose preventing the situation like what you two experienced is the only to truly keep the world at peace.”

Tony gave a noncommittal shrug. He was really starting to regret his detour. The hand was back on his shoulder, squeezing too tightly for Tony’s comfort.

Pierce’s eyes looked Tony up and down once again. “This is Dr. Banner’s lab. Don’t be a stranger, Anthony.” A smile spread across Pierce’s face and Tony felt himself mirroring the expression.

Tony was grateful when he heard the door close behind him and exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He could see Bruce hunched over a microscope, unaware that Tony had arrived.

“What’re you working on?” Tony asked once he planted himself right next to the scientist.

Bruce seized up, looking to the side to see a smiling Tony. “I didn’t even hear you come in,” he chuckled anxiously. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”

“I’m fine.” Tony assured with a phony smile.

Bruce eyed Tony suspiciously before going back to his microscope. “Cut back on the coffee. It’s already stunted your growth.”

“Has not!” Tony was not short, he was average height. Sure, he wasn’t the tallest and he was a bit on the lean side, but by no means was he short in his opinion.

“Uh, huh. Sure,” Bruce teased while he worked. “Your bots are in the corner, by the way. The one with the arm seems very hesitant to move around. I thought he may be low on battery, but I think it’s confused.”

“Of course, it’s DUM-E.” Tony replied.

“That isn’t very nice.”

Tony chuckled at Bruce’s concern for DUM-E ‘s feelings. “No, that’s its name.”

Bruce hummed in interest and followed Tony to go examine the robots. Tony gestured wildly to them, the incident with Pierce already forgotten. “DUM-E is a bit of a butterfingers, but he tries and that’s all that matters.” DUM-E chirped happily, his claw clenching around the hem of Tony’s shirt.

“I missed you too, even though you are so very dumb.” Tony cooed as he pet the bot’s arm.

“Their A.I.’s are highly advanced, you may want to look into getting your work published. I haven’t seen robotics this refined from others in the field.” Bruce commented, admiring the teen’s work.

“You think?” Tony hadn’t really considered it. Bots had been a side project Obie had allowed him to do as long as he got designs in on time for Stark Industries. Obie had never taken Tony’s suggestion of SI opening a robotics division and instead referred to Tony’s project as ‘play time’.  

“Absolutely. Tony, _Popular Mechanics_ and universities would jump at a chance to see quality work like this.” Bruce continued in awe, “I can’t exactly reach out to my former colleagues, but I’m sure someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. would on your behalf.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. He had always known DUM-E and U were special, but for him they were special because they were his friends.

“Tony, you okay?” Bruce asked, suddenly in front of the inventor.

“You’re not just saying that to be nice?” questioned Tony. Bruce had been nothing but kind to him since he had arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D. Bruce could be lying. Apparently his whole life had been a lie, so what was one more?

Bruce’s face turned somber. “I promise you, I’m not just saying that to be nice. I’m talking to you as a scientist. I - Tony?”

Tony wiped at his eyes, sniffling before he choked out a bark of laughter. “‘M’okay,” he replied, a bit embarrassed that he had let his emotions creep up on him. “I’m happy, I promise these are good tears. I don’t know why, but ...thank you.” Tony finished lamely, his voice tight.

“You’re welcome.” Bruce went back to his work and let Tony recover.

 

**…**

 

A few short hours went by and Tony was nearly done with his redesign of Clint’s hearing aids. He stretched, DUM-E chirping next to him as the bot attempted to hand him a hammer. “No, that’s not what I need.” Tony shooed DUM-E away. “I’m gonna go get some coffee.”

“Want me to come with you?” Bruce asked without looking up from his stack of papers.

“I know you’re more of a tea guy,” Tony started to head for the door, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Out in the hall Tony followed the signs to the cafeteria. Peggy had given him some money, but in Tony’s opinion it had been too much. The whole concept of money was still a bit foreign to him. He had always know things cost money, but he had never bought things. All he had to do was tell Jarvis or Obie what he needed and it was his.

The cafeteria was a few feet away when Tony felt a hand resting on his shoulder. Tony tensed, hoping it wasn’t Pierce again. The man seemed nice enough, but Tony didn’t like how the man had looked at him. It was as if he were a science project out on display to be judged.

“I thought I recognized that mop of hair,” Clint pulled Tony into sideways hug. “Shouldn’t you be in the lab?”

“Coffee break.” Tony stated as he tried to fix his hair.

Clint nodded in understanding. “Could go for a cup o’ joe myself.” He tagged along with Tony, helping the inventor by carrying Bruce’s tea once they had gathered their drinks and snacks.

Tony gladly answered any and all questions Clint had about the robots as they walked. The only one he didn’t understand was something called a Transformer that Clint promised they would watch so Tony could make one.

“Oh, before I forget. We’re going out for Cap’s birthday. You wanna go?”

“Out?” Tony held the door to the lab open for Clint with a puzzled expression.

Clint set the drinks down next to Bruce, casting him a dejected smile. “Yeah, out as in outside. We’re going to the carnival.”

Tony sipped his coffee. He had yet to truly go outside in public, especially after the news had broke he may still be alive. Carnivals had always looked fun in TV and movies, but for some reason the thought of actually going to one filled Tony with anxiety.

“I-I dunno. Bruce?” Tony turned to the scientist for advice.

Bruce choked on his tea, coughing a bit before replying, “I don’t do well in crowded places so I won’t be able to attend,” He could see Tony’s face fall, “But, I think you’d have a great time and I could come get you if you want to go home.”

“Yeah,” Clint chimed in, “We can always go if you don’t like it. I promise, you don’t even have to ride any roller coasters if you don’t want to.”

Tony mulled it over. He had always wanted to see fireworks. “Okay, I’m in.”

“Atta boy!” Clint cheered a bit too loudly.

Bruce took another long drink from his cup, “Maybe now's a good time to show Clint your progress.”

Tony’s head shot up, a gleeful smile taking over his face. “I still need to make a better casting, but this should tide you over until I can complete a new pair.”

“No way!” Clint exclaimed when Tony placed the hearing aid in the palm of his hand. The device was much sleeker and smaller than the original. “No one’s got anything like this on the market. You could make a fortune.”

“It’s just a prototype. I can do better.”

Clint clenched and unclenched his jaw. “Tony, don’t put yourself down like that.”

Tony opened his mouth, only to close it again. He didn’t see it as putting himself down. It was a fact he could do better. An apology was on his lips, but a crack of static hissed throughout the lab.

“Dr. Banner, can you please send Tony up to my office?” Peggy’s voice echoed, the sound cutting off sharply - leaving the room in silence.

“Forgot we had an intercom…” Bruce muttered as he shuffled over to the wall and hit a button before speaking, “Yes, on the way.”

“I’ll take him up, Doc. You keep working.” Clint offered, motioning for Tony to follow.

 

**…**

 

Tony didn’t stray during their walk. Something told him Peggy wasn’t one to be kept waiting. Unlike when Tony first walked into S.H.I.E.L.D. it felt like all eyes were on him. Some offered smiles, but Tony could tell it was forced.

“You don’t look too happy, медвежонок.” A familiar voice trilled.

Tony jerked his head up and genuinely smiled as he saw Natasha in the office doorway. “Where’s Peggy?”

“She had to meet with some members of the council, but I’m the one who requested we meet.” Natasha explained while moving into the office to have a seat with Tony and Clint at Peggy’s desk.“Tony, the reason we found you wasn’t all luck. A worker at Stark Industries reported some irregular transactions. Her name is Pepper Potts and she would like to meet you.”

The name struck Tony as strange, but there were bigger questions that needed answering. “Why?”

“She was Obadiah’s assistant and with you taking majority control of the company she would become your assistant if desired,” Natasha tone remained indifferent, “But, I believe she truly just want to see you’re well in person. She’s the contact I was talking about for the press conference.”

Tony’s brows furrowed. Why would someone who had never met him care? “I guess. When?”

“I’m assuming you’ll be joining us for the party, so I told her after the holiday.” Natasha answered.

“What if she doesn’t like me?” Tony blurted out the thought before he could stop himself.

Natasha leaned back in her chair. “Then she’s an idiot, but I think she’s sharp. You two will get along just fine.”

“Thank you.” Tony mumbled, “ I know you don’t have to help me.”

“It’s what friends are for.”

Friends. There was that word again and Tony couldn’t help but smile every time he heard it. “As a friend, can I ask for one more favor?”

Natasha nodded her head, waiting for Tony to continue.

“I need all the files you have on my family and a man named Edwin Jarvis. Newspaper clippings, videos, I’ll take whatever you can get.”

Clint and Natasha shared a look, both their faces sporting matching sly grins. “We’ll have you something before you leave today.” Natasha assured.

True to their word, Natasha and Clint presented Tony with two file folders worth of information later that day in Bruce’s lab. They claimed there was more, but they would require more time to make copies. Tony clutched the files in his hand, hesitant to set them down in fear of someone taking them. While he appreciated any files he could get on Howard and Jarvis, he really needed to get his hands on audio and videos if he wanted his newest plans to succeed.

Tony started to gather his things from the lab when Steve came barreling in. “Oh, good you didn’t leave yet. I tell ya, those meetings go on forever.” The words came out at a rapid fire pace, Steve’s Brooklyn accent coming out thicker than usual. “Did you guys already invite him?”

Clint held back his laughter poorly, “Yeah, dude. Little man said he’d come. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, thanks for inviting me,” Tony answered, feeling embarrassed for some reason. He couldn’t help but see the man he idolized on the silver screen even though he knew Steve Rogers wasn’t exactly the same person. “I still need to ask Peggy.”

“Taken care of,” Steve smiled widely. “She said I just needed to bring you back by midnight.”

“Who is he Cinderella?” Clint quipped, his face creased in distaste.

Tony offered no comment. He actually didn’t want to be out late despite him being up at that hour, whether Peggy was aware of that or not. Too much time had been wasted and he needed to get back to work on his projects.

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Clint, her features relaxing as she faced Tony. “I’ll be leaving by midnight as well.”

“Me too. I hit the hay pretty early to get up for my morning run.” Steve added.

Tony’s nose twitched. The thought of morning and running did not go together in his mind. He hoped Peggy wasn’t going to make him change his non existent sleeping schedule, but the people at S.H.I.E.L.D. all seemed to be morning people. "Groovy, I'll see you guys then. I have to go find Peggy. She mentioned something about getting real burgers for dinner tonight." Tony said before he left.

"Did he just say 'groovy'?" Clint winced, "I need to teach him new slang."

"So I shouldn't use that?" Steve asked, Clint bringing his palm to his face in response.

 

**...**

 

The burger had been hands down the best thing Tony had ever eaten. Peggy had taken him to a diner and said he could order whatever he wanted. Which sounded like a good idea at the time, but as Tony clutched his stomach he was starting to regret eating so much. The milkshake is probably what pushed him over the edge. He'd always seen them on TV and to be able to finally have one was like a dream come true. Peggy had even helped him finish some of it, but he should've stopped when he started to feel queasy. Bruce had mentioned Tony might feel compelled to over eat due to his previous diet and of course the doctor had been right. In the moments Tony did remember to eat or was forced to, he often found himself eating even though he clearly felt full. But now wasn't the time to feel sick.

No, Tony was on a mission to finish Steve's birthday present in time for the carnival. He had many blueprints from his past tinkering of his ideas on how to improve Captain America's shield, but what would Steve actually like was the real question. Tony didn't have the tools or materials to craft an entirely new shield from scratch, and building one at S.H.IE.L.D. was out of the question. The answer turned out to be simple. Magnets.

Tony remembered Captain America often had to hold his shield or strap it to his back. A little inconvenient in the middle of a fight or during a mission. If Tony crafted a magnetic brace for Steve's arm, the shield could stay securely in place while on the move and in battle.

There was a soft knock on his door and Tony scrambled to cover his work with his bed sheet. "Y-Yes?"

Peggy peeked her head into the room before stepping inside. "My word, you've been hard at work haven't you. Please tell me you managed to get some rest."

"I had coffee. That's better."

Peggy's face fell before turning into a tired smile. "You really are just like Howard." She said in a fond yet exasperated tone that was reserved solely for Stark men.

Tony stiffened. From what he had read he was nowhere near as great as his father. Obie had been right, Howard had given this world more than Tony could dream of. "I guess," said Tony with a shrug.

Peggy came fully into the room, revealing a box she had hidden behind her back. "A little bird told me you were looking for things on Jarvis and your father,"

Tony opened his mouth, an apology heavy on his tongue, but Peggy kept talking.

"Tony, I want you to know you can ask for things from me as well. You won't get in trouble for asking. I happen to have some old photos and videos if you'd like them."

"W-What?" Tony's eyes started to well up with tears, but he was able to blink them back.

"These are yours as much as mine." Peggy offered the box to Tony  "And anything with the Stark name attached to it now belongs to you."

"But I don't know what I'm doing. What if I mess up?" Tony’s voice quivered.

Peggy set the box down on Tony’s desk. "And what if you do? Everyone does Tony. What's important is that you get back up and make things right. You don't strike me as the type to give up."

"I'm not!" Tony exclaimed.

Peggy smirked, eyes wandering to the project Tony had covered up. "That's the right attitude. I'm going to bed... Try not to work all night. I'll start rationing the coffee if I have to."

Tony promised, but both knew it would hold no merit. Not because Tony couldn’t keep his promises - no, the fact that Peggy had given him a box filled with stories of a life Tony never knew was sure to keep even the most diligent of sleepers up.

 

**…**

 

Tony stared at himself in the mirror, doing his best to copy the smirk he had seen Howard use countless times in the home videos and press conferences Peggy had shared with him. The key to being a business man seemed to be confidence. Of course knowledge was a key component, but how Howard and Obie had presented themselves was the other half of the equation. No one would want to work with some puny kid who flinched all the time.

“Just smile and act like you know what you’re doing.” He said to himself, his sullen tone not matching his cocksure grin. The person in the mirror was exactly that, a person - not Tony. His smile faltered and he raked his hand across his face. This plan wasn’t going as smoothly as he had hoped.

“Tony!” Peggy called from downstairs. “They’re here. Don’t forget the bug spray I left out for you.”

“Coming!” Tony yelled back as he hastily pulled on his sneakers. He charged down the stairs, almost losing his footing on the way down.

“Where’s the fire?” Peggy asked when Tony arrived in the foyer out of breath. “Don’t forget to put on bug spray and you tell Steve I’ll be cross if you’re not back on time.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Tony replied earnestly, checking his pockets to make sure he had everything.

Peggy brushed away the shaggy bangs that hid Tony’s face. “Tony, you know you can call me Aunt Peggy if you like.”

The sentence lingered in the air, neither speaking as an uncomfortable silence festered. Before Tony could articulate a reply the car outside beeped it’s horn. With a hurried goodbye, Tony took that as his cue and rushed out the front door.

In the driveway sat a black Mercedes and Tony had to stop himself from fawning over what was clearly a newer model. One of his guilty pleasures had always been cars, but he was severely behind on what was available on the market.

The tinted window on the driver’s side rolled down and a well manicured hand waved. “Better hurry up before Cap turns back into a fossil.” Natasha smirked, her thumb gesturing for Tony to sit in the backseat.

“Hey,” came Clint’s voice as Tony opened the door. “Welcome to the kid’s club.”

“It’s Steve’s birthday -” Natasha started to say.

“But I called shotgun!” Clint whined with a pout, his foot slamming into the back of Steve’s seat.

Steve turned around, his face steeled from any form of expression. “You keep that up and you aren’t getting any ice cream.” He said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a poorly disguised smirk.

Tony snorted with laughter, the scene reminding him of the many sitcoms he used to watch on a daily basis. The entire car ride he found himself content to watch, only speaking when spoken to out of habit.

To Tony the sideways glances went unnoticed and the closer they got to their destination, the more he found himself feeling restless. The car rolled to a stop, Natasha cutting the engine once she placed the car into park. “Fireworks aren’t going to come on for a few hours. What do you want to do first?”

Steve knew the question was directed at him, but instead he turned around to face Tony. “Dunno. Tony, you feel like eating or trying out a few rides first?”

“Uh…” Tony paused, running every scenario in his head in case this was some sort of bizarre test. “Food?”

“Yes!” Clint shouted as he slapped the roof of the car.

Natasha was out of the driver’s seat and pulling Clint out of the back of the car faster than Tony could comprehend. “I know you did not just hit my car.” Her voice was smooth, yet chilling. A small apology could be heard, but Tony looked away when he heard his door open.

“Need help getting out?” Steve asked while extending his hand. With only a moment's hesitation, Tony took the offered hand, surprising himself by the action. Just a month ago, Tony wouldn’t even let Obie hand him things and now here he was holding hands with Captain America.  He was so dazed and lost in his thoughts, Tony didn’t notice right away that they were now in food area of the carnival. The smells hit him first. Rich. Fried. Sweet. All the scents manage to meld into one and Tony could feel his mouth start to water.

“Nat and Clint are gonna bring us some food back,” Steve said, guiding Tony over to an open picnic table. “I’m not allowed to shop for food with Nat. She gets upset that I complain about the prices.”

Tony furrowed his brow, resting his chin on the palm of his hand while he looked up at Steve. “What’s wrong with the prices? It all can’t be that much.”

Steve puffed out a breath of air. “It is to me. Everything went up cause of inflation.”

“Oh…” Tony replied lamely. Why he hadn’t considered inflation made Tony feel stupid. It seemed the more time he spent with S.H.I.E.L.D. the more he found himself not knowing what to do.

“Get ready baby birds, it’s time to eat!” Clint yelled over the continuous chatter of the crowd. His arms carefully balanced paper baskets while Natasha held their drinks. Steve and Tony felt their jaws go slack as the food began to pile up on the table.

“Are we expecting company?” asked Steve.

Clint popped an unidentifiable piece of fried food into his mouth, “This is all for me.” Natasha plucked the container of food from Clint’s hand. “I mean us. It’s for us.”

“Better,” Natasha said, handing the food back over to Clint. “Let them pick out something first.” She added before taking a seat next to Tony.

The choices were staggering. Both their hands hovered above the food, each hesitantly picking something to try. Tony tore off a piece of funnel cake, eyeing it before taking a bite. He’d seen them on TV before, but the taste was nothing like he could’ve imagined. It reminded him of the times Obie would bring him donuts, except those had always been stale. The dough was crisp and slightly burnt his tongue, but it didn’t stop Tony from taking another piece.

Steve on the other hand could feel his teeth ache from the over sweetness of what he thought was a corn dog, but clearly was some sort of cake with strawberry sauce on a stick.

“Oh my god!” Clint hollered at Steve’s twisted face. “I should’ve taken a picture. I can’t believe you fell for it!”

Steve laughed, “It ain’t bad, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. Who puts cake on a stick?”

The four of them continued to eat, Clint going up a few more times and coming back with more food before they decided it was time to test the rides. In hindsight, they all probably should have done the rides first. Of course, Clint and Steve insisted on going on the biggest and fastest roller coaster first. Steve was practically giddy as he told everyone about how he would get sick when he rode the rides at Coney Island.

After the ride Tony bolted from his seat and Steve knew instantly what was wrong. The three of them trailed after Tony, and Steve’s worries were confirmed when they found Tony hunched over neck deep in the nearest trash can.

“Oh, man...Peggy’s gonna kill us.” Clint murmured to himself.

Steve stepped up, placing his hand on Tony’s back. “You all right?”

Tony lifted his head, giving a shaky thumbs up. “T-That was awesome. Let’s go again.”

“How about you take a break first?” Steve suggested.

They found a nearby bench to rest at while Clint and Natasha went to go get water. Steve was happy to see the color returning to Tony’s face as he munched on some popcorn Natasha had bought before she went to help Clint. And by help, Steve knew it was more to make sure the archer didn’t get distracted by the carnival games on the way there and back.

Tony sat quietly, kicking his feet as he watched all the people walk by. He didn’t like getting sick, but he’d never felt more alive in his entire life. This new environment wasn’t sterilized and almost all the elements were out of his control. It was chaos. It was beautiful.

A loud bang resonated and Steve gave a low whistle as Tony looked up to see an explosion of color crackle across the skyline.

“They must be getting ready for the show.” Steve mentioned. The way Tony’s eyes lit up made him feel an unfamiliar sensation. He chalked it up to admiring how Tony looked at the world through rose colored glasses.

Tony turned to look at Steve when he felt as if the air had been sucked from his lungs. His eyes trailed the man who passed behind Steve, the familiar symbol of ten rings on the inside of his forearm.

“Tony?”

“We have to leave. Now!” Tony clutched Steve’s arm, pulling the soldier to stand.

“Tony?” Steve repeated with urgency, “What’s wrong?”

“They’re here. It’s not safe.” Tony said in a rush while weaving through the crowd.

Steve latched on to Tony’s arm, not wanting to lose him. He knew he should stop and better asses the situation, but Steve’s adrenaline was running full force and it was taking all his self control not to throw Tony over his shoulder and hot-wire the nearest car.

They made it to the outskirts of the carnival, the parking lot within view. Steve waited for Tony to catch his breath while keeping a lookout for any possible enemies. “Tony, what is going on?”

Tony coughed, his lungs burning with each breath. “I shouldn’t know,” he started, his voice still panicked, “The Ten Rings are here. I-I think S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking into them, I don’t know. The symbol - it’s bad, Steve. We gotta go!”

Steve’s expression darkened. He had never heard of this organization. If S.H.I.E.L.D. was truly investigating them then Steve should have been informed.  His head tilted up and he looked to the sky to calm himself before facing Tony. “Clint and Nat will realize something is wrong. Let’s go wait by the car. I need to talk to Peggy.”

Tony nodded wordlessly, too afraid to say anything else on the matter. Right now he could only focus on numbers as he counted how many breaths he took. After two hundred breaths, Clint appeared by the car. Through the sound of his breathing, Tony knew Clint and Steve were talking, but he couldn’t make out anything they were saying over the ringing in his ears.

A hand wrapped around Tony’s chest, followed by sensation of being weightless as another hand supported his legs. From how high up he was Tony knew it was Steve holding him. What Tony didn’t know was how he ended up in the back seat of the car and when Natasha had arrived. His eyes flickered to his right where Clint sat, the archer’s mouth and hands moving. It didn’t matter though, to Tony it was as if someone had turned the world on mute.

“You knew and you didn’t tell me!” Steve’s voice cut through the static, Natasha’s gaze looking back at Tony through the rear view mirror.

“I have my assignments and you have yours.” She replied coolly, her eyes moving back toward the road.

Steve’s left hand clutched at the armrest causing it to creak under the pressure. “How am I supposed to protect him if I don’t know?! You had no right. None of you did!”

A boom fizzled in the distance and Tony leaned against the cool glass of the window to see the distant fireworks from the carnival.

 

**…**

 

Steve didn’t seem to care that Natasha broke over a handful of laws to get back to Peggy’s as quickly as they did. Instead he barked out orders. “Clint, take Tony to his room. Natasha, I want a full sweep of perimeter. Unless someone’s already doing that and I didn’t know.”

It was only a little after ten, hours before they were supposed to be back. Peggy opened the front door and Steve didn’t doubt she knew something was wrong.

“Steve -”

“We need to talk.” Steve cut her off sternly.

Peggy pursed her lips, turning on her heel to go back into the house. Steve tailed after her, blind to if Clint and Natasha had followed his commands or not. He almost ran into Peggy’s back when she suddenly stopped in the kitchen.

“Who the hell are the Ten Rings?” Steve demanded, doing nothing to hid his anger. If there was one thing Steve didn’t like more than bullies, it was being deceived. He trusted Peggy was his life and to find that she could’ve been lying to him was a hit Steve didn’t know how to counter.

“A terrorist organization who does not concern you,” Peggy answered in a clipped tone. “Move out of the way. I need to check on Tony.”

“They’re the reason Tony’s upset. He said he wasn’t supposed to know and I want to know why that is.”

“Steve, I don’t know how Tony found out about them...I have a hunch, but you know as well as I do the less that people know than the less likely information gets leaked.” She finished as she pushed past Steve to go upstairs.

Steve’s anger continued to simmer and he knew a trip to the gym would be necessary after he left. The phone rang and after the fifth ring it was clear Peggy wasn’t going to answer. Steve picked up the receiver, “Carter residence.”

“Captain Rogers?”

“Dr. Pym?” Steve replied in confusion. The man no longer worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. due to what Steve heard was a tragic accident with his wife on a field mission. Why would he still be in contact with Peggy?

An annoyed sigh hissed through the receiver. “Look, I’m busy and don’t have a lot of time for this S.H.I.E.L.D. nonsense. Is Carter available?”

“No, I’m afraid not. She’s occupied. How can I help, sir?” Steve lowered his voice a bit, peering toward the staircase to see if Peggy was nearby.

“First, after this I’m done. I only owe her and Howard so much. And if I were you I’d get out of S.H.I.E.L.D. as soon as possible, Captain. They’re not all they appear to be.”

Steve made no comment, but after tonight he was starting to see that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t perfect and some changes needed to be made.

“Second, tell Carter to get Stark’s kid out of that house,” Hank continued. “I did some digging and I think Obadiah is involved with the Ten Rings. They’re dangerous and the man is a fool for even talking to them. If he isn’t already dead, he may be soon if he crosses them.”

“You’re sure?” Steve gripped the phone tightly, having to stop himself from crushing it in his hand.

“Sure enough that I know you have to move that kid. Be careful who you trust at S.H.I.E.L.D. otherwise I wasted my time finding this out. I leave it in your capable hands.” There was a click signaling the call had ended, but Steve continued to hold onto the phone; the dial tone ringing in his ear. Steve hung up the phone, an eerie calm consuming him.

“Who was that?” Peggy asked, appearing next to Steve.

“Dr. Pym,” Steve replied tonelessly. “He says Stane is probably connected with the Ten Rings and that Tony isn’t safe here.”

Peggy moved to pick up the phone and began to dial, “I’m calling him.”

Steve placed his finger on the switchhook and instantly disconnected the call. “I’m going to take first watch. It would be best if you started making new arrangements for Tony.”

“Steve!” Peggy called after the soldier. She watched as he continued up the stairs and swore under her breath. With a calming breath Peggy resigned herself to the mission at hand and dialed Nick’s number. “Fury, we’re working overtime tonight.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Pepper will finally be making an appearance! I figure I should mention now that in this story Tony is bisexual and Steve will struggle internally with his own feelings toward men and women due to the era he is from. For updates or just wanting to see stuff I post check out my Tumblr at catbelwrites. Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Tony adjusted his tie, feeling more as if he were a prop than the head of a company. The past few days had been nothing short of insane. The night of the carnival had ended with Tony and Clint staying up all night playing Super Mario on Nintendo while Steve and Natasha prowled around the house like caged animals. The idea of leaving his room that night was enough to send Tony into what he overheard Steve say was ‘another panic attack’. He knew it wasn’t meant to come across as hurtful, but Tony had lost the confidence he’d built up to give Steve his birthday present. His gift was stupid anyway. S.H.I.E.L.D. could probably make something better anyway. 

  
“Stop, you’ll wrinkle it.” Natasha commented as she drove.   
  
Tony hands fell to his sides, his eyes peeking out from his sunglasses. “It doesn’t matter. I look ridiculous.”   
  
“I think you look handsome. You should wear a suit more often.” Natasha peered over from the driver’s seat, her right hand moving to readjust the lapels on Tony’s blazer before going back to the steering wheel.   
  
Tony gave a noncommittal grunt and his hands automatically went back to fiddle with his tie. “After this meeting where will I be going?” The question had been resting on the back of his tongue, partly to him not wanting to know the answer. He could no longer stay at Peggy’s house. S.H.I.E.L.D. had deemed it a high security risk and relocation was the immediate solution. The worst part was knowing the room he’d grown accustomed to would no longer be his. Right when he had been getting used to calling Peggy’s house home, too.

  
“You’ll be staying in the apartments with us for now. Don’t worry about it, Tony. I promise it’ll be okay,” Natasha said, her hand moving from the steering wheel to grasp Tony’s. Their fingers intertwined and Tony squeezed once he felt Natasha apply pressure to his hand. One would think Natasha’s hands would be soft, but Tony could feel the familiar well calloused bumps across her palms that mirrored his own. It was unspoken, but Tony could sense Natasha was aware that his worn hands were from more than working with power tools and other unstable elements.   
  
Stark Industries was one of the top providers to the Department of Defense, after all. Someone had to test the guns before they went to the client’s table. It’s probably something Tony shouldn’t pride himself in, but each gun he designed was hand tested and cleared before he gave any designs and prototypes to Obie. There was a reason that Stark guns and weapons had such a good reputation among soldiers in the field and Tony wasn’t keen on changing that anytime soon.   
  
“Earth to Tony,” Natasha’s voice pierced through his thoughts. “We’re here.”  
  
Tony withdrew his hand and fussed with his tie some more. “Don’t suppose we could reschedule?”  
  
“We could, but I think you’ll be okay. I’ll be here if you need anything,” Natasha assured.   
  
Stark Industries, like S.H.I.E.L.D., was designed in a clinical and sterile fashion. The amount of white and grey was practically blinding and Tony opted to keep his sunglasses on as he trailed after Natasha. Tony kept his head down while keeping track of the various hallways and elevators Natasha took to get them up to what was going to be his office. He counted exactly 52 steps and two elevator rides up.  
  
The two waited outside the office, sitting on the plush couches while the time of their appointment quickly passed. Natasha’s lip pressed into a thin line, “Stay here,” she said as she stood and entered the office.  
  
Tony sat outside in the waiting area, feeling uneasy while he watched the clock tick. If he went to the car now he could claim he wasn’t feeling well and they could reschedule. Just when he was about the leave the door to the hallway was flung open.  
  
“God this place is so generic, gross me out the door.” An appalled voice muttered. Tony’s head shot up, his eyes meeting a boy who had light brown hair and circular, thick framed glasses. If Tony didn’t know any better he would’ve thought he had the wrong office since the kid looked as if he were walking straight out of one of Natasha’s fashion magazines he’d flipped through.  
  
“Well, don’t you look brand new?” The boy practically sang. He waltzed over to Tony and took a seat next to him - invading Tony’s personal space. “Haven’t seen you before. What’s the 411?”  
  
“T-The what? If you need a doctor I can call 911.” Tony stumbled over his words, moving to stand to go find a phone.   
  
“Woah, take a chill pill, buddy,” The boy yanked Tony’s arm causing the Stark heir to fall back onto the couch. “My name’s Justin. What’s yours?”  
  
“...Tony.”  
  
“Anthony, baby. You gotta r-e-l-a-x about it. You seem mega choice. What’re you doing in a bunk place like this? My dad’s here to talk business. Tryin’ to take some contract off this place since the CEO booked it.” Justin said quick as a wink.   
  
“Relax about it.” Tony repeated hollowly. The concept seemed foreign to him. Relaxing for Tony usually involved being in his workshop or tinkering in general. The idea of being able to brush off his responsibilities was incomprehensible.   
  
Justin nodded his head enthusiastically and propped his feet up on the table. “Yeah, now you’re gettin’ it!” He leaned in closer to Tony, who seemed to grow smaller the closer Justin got. If the touching wasn't enough to set Tony on edge, then the smell of Justin’s cologne was. The strong, overpowering scent was earthy yet held a spice that caused Tony’s eyes to water. He could feel his stomach churn and heart flip at the same time. He hadn't felt like this since he'd last seen Obie.   
  
“You should totally come to this party I'm throwing,” Justin prattled on, not seeming too concerned if Tony was actually listening. “Anybody who’s anybody is gonna be there. And my parents won't be home!”   
  
“Okay…” Tony leaned away, not really agreeing to go to said party while still acknowledging it was happening. He had always wanted to go to a party like he'd seen on TV, but now that chance was here it didn't seem appealing. Considering he hadn't handle the small birthday party well, Tony was anxious to go to any large gatherings.  The press conference he was here to discuss hopefully wouldn't be too overwhelming.   
  
“I'll have my people call your people.  What’s your last name?” Justin asked.  
  
Tony’s eyes went wide. Was it okay for him to tell people? The news would be out soon enough, so it shouldn't matter.  “Stark.” He replied as the door to the office opened to reveal Natasha with whom Tony could only assume was Pepper along with the people Justin had come with.  
  
“Gentlemen,” Pepper addressed before anyone could get a word in edgewise. “I appreciate your concern for Stark Industries during this time, but as you can see Mr. Stark will be taking over shortly. I trust you can keep this amongst ourselves until the press conference is held.” She smiled sweetly with a firm clap of her hands.   
  
“You can't honestly expect-”  
  
“General Ross,” Natasha interrupted. “Your appointment has ended. Mr. Stark has a strict schedule to keep. Should you wish to look into military's contract with Stark Industries, I suggest you set up an appointment with the new CEO.” Natasha’s smiled mirrored Pepper’s, one that was polite yet smug all at once.  
  
Tony stood from the couch, puffing out his chest and smiling just as he had practiced. “I can assure you, Stark Industries will continue to provide the best for our military and those who bravely serve.”  
  
“You're honestly going to let a child run this company?” Mr. Hammer scoffed while he eyed Tony with uncertainty.  
  
“Every single design from the past ten years has been by me,” Tony stated defensively. “Are you saying your designs are no better than a child’s?”  
  
A snort turned quickly into a cough caught Tony’s attention to the soldier near Ross. The man was young, most likely in his early twenties. While Ross and Hammer were too busy seething to notice; the soldier, who according to his uniform was named Rhodes, winked at Tony.   
  
“Thank you for stopping by. Please fill out the paperwork at the front desk before you leave.” Pepper said as she ushered Natasha and Tony inside the office.   
  
The door slammed shut behind them, all three visibly relaxing. “I’m so sorry,” Pepper started with a sigh. “I was expecting Hammer, but Ross was a surprise. Please, have a seat.” She moved over to the well-stocked bar, bringing over three glasses and a pitcher of ice water.  
  
Now that things were settled down, Tony could truly look at the woman known as Pepper Potts. At first Tony had demonized her since she was the reason he’d been found. What right did this stranger have to take him from the only home he’d ever known? Looking at Pepper in her white blazer and matching pencil skirt presented the exact opposite of what he had been expecting. With her ruby painted lips smiling and kind expression, Tony could only see her as angelic now.   
  
“Mr. Stark, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Virginia Potts, but everyone calls me Pepper. I’d like to start by asking if you have any questions or concerns,” Pepper recited like a well-rehearsed script.    
  
Tony could feel himself start to break out in a cold sweat. He knew he was there to discuss his future role at Stark industries, but he had assumed he would told what he was going to do. Tony opened his mouth, closing it before opening it again. “I would like to continue designing our products. It’s the field I’m most experienced in,” The words flowed seamlessly, but to Tony anything he said sounded off right now. He was used to talking to himself and his robots than actual people still.   
  
“Of course.” Pepper took note of Tony’s preference. “The products you’ve designed are leaps and bounds above our competitors, we can’t afford to lose the edge we currently have,”  
  
To hear his designs spoken about so highly caused Tony’s heart to swell. Praise had been few and far between when Obie provided feedback. Part of Tony knew his work was above average, but to hear and know that other companies weren’t able to compete was a nice boost to his self-esteem. “I don’t really know how to do much else, Ms. Potts. Obie handled all the business components.”   
  
Natasha clucked her tongue in annoyance, but said nothing. Tony knew Natasha had nothing nice to say about Obadiah Stane. The man was not saint, but to Tony he had been caring - most of the time.  
  
“I can help you out with the business end of things until you’re comfortable, Mr. Stark.” Pepper assured.  
  
“Tony.”  
  
“I’m sorry?” Pepper blinked at Tony, a look uncertainty creeping across her face.  
  
“You can call me Tony.” Tony said, the request making him feel lighter for some reason.  
  
Pepper smiled. “I see, then I hope you’ll refer to me as Pepper. Ms. Potts are for members of the board who think I deserve to earn less than my male co-workers.”   
  
Tony balked at the statement. “Why wouldn’t you make the same if you’re doing the same work? Are people not receiving equal salary?”   
  
“I don’t believe so,” She replied in a sour tone.  
  
Tony reached for the pad of paper and pen on the desk. “That’s the first thing I want to change.”  
  
Pepper’s lips twitched into a wide smile. “Tony, I think you’re going to take Stark Industries in the best direction its seen in years.” Pepper opened the drawer and pulled out a binder with Stark Industries logo printed across the cover and set it in front of Tony and Natasha. “But first, the world needs to get to know you. I’ve put together some talking points for the press conference. I’ve made sure the news outlets are aware that questions must be pre-approved and should anyone go off script they will be removed from the premises and banned from future SI events.”   
  
Tony couldn’t stop the laugh that unexpectedly overcame him. Pepper Potts was ruthless. No wonder she of all people had been the one to send Obadiah Stane running for his life. “Pepper,” Tony said as his laughter calmed down. “How would you like to be CEO of Stark Industries?”  
  
It was Pepper’s turn to laugh, her hand moving to cover her mouth until the fit passed.   
  
“I’m serious.” Tony closed the binder and pushed it back toward Pepper. “You know more about the business to business side and I’m not ready for that.” He wouldn’t be ready for quite some time, either. Tony was more of an inventor than a business man. Even if he had never been isolated from the world, his brain didn’t like to waste time when he could be creating.  
  
“Tony.” Pepper’s face fell. “The Board won’t like it.”  
  
Tony shrugged. “So what? Last time I checked this was Stark Industries. I should have final say, right?”  
  
“I can’t, this is too much.” Pepper protested.  
  
“Until I’m twenty-one, then. Final offer.” Tony extended his hand across the desk.  
  
Pepper reached for Tony’s hand with a breathless laugh. “Your drive a hard bargain. It’s a deal.”   
  
During his time at Stark Industries Tony felt his anxiety melt away. Pepper, despite her being a few years older, never once talked down to him or made him feel uncomfortable. Their banter with one another seemed unstoppable. It wasn’t until Natasha mentioned the time did Tony realized he’d spent over half the day just talking. At least Pepper seemed to be just as shocked at how late in the day it was, Tony thought before giving a hurried goodbye.  
  
Unlike before the car ride passed in a blur. Tony was too consumed by thoughts of Pepper and how fast they clicked. He felt the back of his neck heat up as his throat went dry. Is this what Jarvis had been talking about? Tony felt like his stomach was doing flips and he could hear his heart pounding. Of course, there were times in the bunker where he had always hoped to find someone he truly loved the way Jarvis had his wife, Ana. He would always recall how fondly Jarvis spoke of her and Tony wanted someone like that. Someone that meant the world to him and that he could talk about for hours without ever getting tired of it. Tony had mentioned to Jarvis that he liked men and women once when he was younger and the reaction, while not bad by any means, had not been what he expected.   
  
“Be careful who you tell, Tony.” Were the words Jarvis spoke.  
  
Tony had never told Obie. Instead he only ever mentioned the female actresses he found attractive, which always earned him a pat on the back. It was behavior that made him “just like his old man” he was often told. Tony took some pride in being compared to Howard - his father had been a genius. However, when Obadiah made that comparison it made his skin crawl. Tony didn't even want to know what his uncle would've said if he had admitted to liking men as well.  
  
"Can I go back tomorrow?" Tony found himself asking aloud while Natasha parked the car.  
  
His question was met with a stretch of silence before Natasha replied. "Pepper will be in meetings all day to prep for the conference. You still want to go?"  
  
"Not really," Tony answered honestly. He had probably talked too much. Obie had told him numerous times to shut up and listen or else people would get annoyed. Tony really hoped he hadn't over stayed his welcome and caused an inconvenience.  
  
Natasha rested her hand lightly on Tony's shoulder. "You'll see her soon. Told you that you both would get along just fine." She smiled knowingly and guided Tony into the elevator.  
  
Tony knew he was blushing, but he also knew there was no way to hide it from Natasha so he didn't even bother trying.  
  
"I'm a few doors down the hall from you and so is Clint. Steve is directly across the hall and Bruce is a room down, but you're welcome to knock on any of our doors at any time." Natasha's voice was soothing, but it did little to quell the knot forming in Tony's stomach. "If you're not too tired, I know Clint and I going to watch a movie at his place."  
  
"What movie?" It was a loaded question since Tony knew there was a high chance he hadn't seen it.  
  
" _Terminator_ ," Natasha replied with a smirk.  
  
It was needless to say, that Tony was one the edge of his seat for the entire movie. Not even Clint's snoring could distract from the carnage on the screen. He should've been appalled by the film, seeing as the most violent thing he'd seen was Cap's old movies and those could not even compare. At the end of the movie Natasha offered to let Tony stay, but the genius declined. His mind wouldn't quiet down and Tony was itching to get back to his room to work on his newest project.  
  
His robots' artificial intelligence were extremely lacking in forms of communication, but the thought of crafting an AI similar to Skynet - minus the whole killing all humans; consumed Tony. He could barely recall Natasha walking him back to his apartment and he definitely couldn't remember what she had said. The moment the door had closed, Tony took every file he had on Edwin Jarvis and he began writing a base code for his newest creation.

  
. . .

  
  
Steve murmured a curse under his breath. The investigation into Stane was making little progress and the longer they took to find the man meant the less likely they would succeed. For Steve it wasn't just about bringing a man to justice it was understanding why. Why someone would go so far as to ruin a child's life for their own selfish agenda was an idea Steve couldn't imagine carrying out. Now to also factor in the terrorist group known as The Ten Rings and even Steve, who excelled at strategy, was at a bit of a loss. The call from Pym still replayed in the back of his mind constantly.   
  
Steve mulled over Pym’s claims that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t what it appeared to be. It was the army song and dance all over again. He enlisted to help better the country, but in the end he may just be being used for someone else’s political agenda.  Steve ground his teeth to the point he heard his jaw pop. He was limited in what he could find out about S.H.I.E.L.D. with his clearance level.

The sound of Steve’s alarm ringing startled him, his brows shooting up in bewilderment.  
  
He had stayed up all night.  
  
His stomach growled, and Steve sighed while silently cursing his high metabolism. Steve shuffled over to the kitchen and began pulling out a frying pan and ingredients to make breakfast. While still early for the others to be up, Steve decided he’d go ahead and make enough for everyone.  
  
He was never the best cook, but since coming out of the ice he'd vastly improved his skills in the kitchen. For one, Steve learned there was others was to cook besides boiling. The morning cooking shows had taught him a lot, but he had Coulson to thank for giving him easy recipes and tips.   
  
Steve lost himself and before he knew it he had whipped up enough eggs, bacon, and buttered toast for at least ten people. Granted, Steve would be eating enough for at least three people. He served up four plates before filling his own and balanced the dishes on his arms. It was still early, but Steve knew at least a few of his friends would be awake. He walked down the hall and as he thought of the best way to knock with no hands the door to Clint's room opened, except it wasn't Clint walking out into the hall. Steve stopped in his tracks at the sight of Natasha, her hair disheveled and clothes wrinkled. Part of him knew that Clint and Natasha were close, but he had failed to pick up on exactly how close the two assassins were.  
  
"Oh, breakfast!" Natasha was at Steve's side, plucking a strip of bacon off the nearest plate. "What honor do I owe the Captain America making breakfast for the team?" She inquired while taking a plate for herself.   
  
"I got a bit carried away," Steve smiled sheepishly. "Is, uh, Clint in there?"  
  
Natasha finished off her bite of toast. "He's still asleep, but he'll never say no to food."`  
  
"I didn't know you two were together," Steve should've seen it. The signs had been obvious now that he thought about it.  
  
"We aren't," Natasha continued to eat unphased. "We're just friends who happen to be close. Hope that doesn't upset your moral compass."  
  
Steve rolled his eyes. "People in the 40's had sex before marriage contrary to popular belief. It's just frowned upon by the church."  
  
"I think I need some coffee before hearing more about what you got up to back in the day.” The two of them started to walk down the hall, stopping when they heard Bruce’s door down the hall open.  
  
"I'll have you know I'm a gentlemen and don't kiss and tell. Now, if Howard were still here...well Peggy can tell you the stories. She never gave me a straight answer if he pushed her far enough to get shot at like I did."  
  
Natasha barked a laugh. "This I have to hear about!"  
  
"Yelling this early can't be a good thing," Bruce mumbled as he shuffled toward them.  
  
Natasha passed a plate to Bruce."Steve's telling old stories about him and Director Carter. He survived being human target practice."  
  
"That's impressive," Bruce mused. He pushed his ration of bacon onto Natasha's plate before changing the topic. "How was movie night?"  
  
"Movie night?" Steve felt a blush creep across his face. He'd managed to jumped to the wrong conclusion again.   
  
Natasha slide a piece of toast on Bruce’s plate."Made it through Terminator. Clint and I stayed up a bit longer, but I took Tony back to his room."  
  
"Think he'll want breakfast?" Steve asked, his tone hopeful.  
  
"Not sure, but he needs to at least eat the toast and some eggs." Bruce muttered sleepily.  
  
Natasha took another plate from Steve's arm and left it in front of Clint's door. "We did promise Peggy we'd make sure he'd eat three meals a day." She lead the two men to Tony’s apartment down the hall and knocked gently on the door.  
  
Steve shifted his own plate and Tony's into each of his hands at the same time Natasha knocked on the door again, but no one answers. Natasha knocked once more, harder this time - only for the door to remain closed.   
  
"You're sure he's in there?" Steve felt panic welling up inside him. Surely an alarm would have sounded had intruders managed to get in.  
  
Natasha handed her plate to Bruce wordlessly, her hand going to pull at the chain around her neck. At the end of the chain was a key which Natasha used to opened Tony's door. Steve tilted his head.  
  
"What? I only use it for emergencies," Natasha said in reply to Steve's silent judgement.  
  
Steve felt a strong sense of deja vu as they all walked into Tony's room. Rock music was blasting, but instead of Tony standing there looking frightened like when they first found him, he sat on the floor hunched in front of a computer monitor - his fingers moving furiously across the keyboard.   
  
"Tony?" Bruce was  the first to speak up.   
  
Tony continued typing while turning his head to face everyone. "Hey, when did you guys get here?" His eyes are wide and slightly bloodshot, but Tony still manages a smile.  
  
"Not long." Bruce peered over Tony's shoulder to look at the project that's consumed the young man.

  
Steve cleared his throat and forcefully set the plate of food at Tony's side. Bruce mouthed sorry, knowing he shouldn't have gotten distracted.  
  
"I remember tucking you in last night, медвежонок. Did you not go to sleep?" Natasha brow arched up, her stern stare practically bore-into the young genius.  
  
Tony's hands ceased moving. "I'm guessing that wasn't just an hour ago?" He asked, his eyes searching for the a clock.   
  
Natasha reached out to ruffle Tony's hair. "Afraid not, but I guess we can let it slide this time." She glanced back at Steve, an unspoken warning in her eyes." Steve made breakfast. Why don't you take a break and we can all eat and before you get some rest."  
  
"You can tell us about what you were working on all night," Steve added, genuinely intrigued as to what could've caught Bruce's attention so thoroughly.   
  
Tony grabbed his food with a handful of papers. "I'll start another pot of coffee!"  
  
Eventually, Clint staggered in and joined the team who was huddled at Tony's kitchen table. Tony was in the middle of explaining his new artificial intelligence program, so enthused that people were listening that he didn't even notice Steve and Natasha adding more food to his plate.   
  
"The real challenge is giving it a personality," Tony continued through a bite of toast. "The bots kinda have their own, but imagine having an artificial intelligence program that assisted you, predicted your needs based off algorithms; all while being able to hold a real conversation."  
  
"I'd say you'd become a millionaire," Bruce contributed. "That kind of technology is something only movies have been able to dream of."  
  
Steve gathered the empty dishes, leaving Tony's still half full plate. "Sounds like something Peggy would like for S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony. I had no idea you knew so much about computers."  
  
Tony finished his bite of eggs. "Yeah...weapon design is a main focus for me, but I really like computers. If SI was smart they'd start branching out of weapons and into consumer tech like personal computers and phones. One day they'll all be one in the same."  
  
"A computer phone?" Clint shook his head in disbelief. "I can't wait to see that. Sounds like something out of _Back to the Future_."  
  
"Another movie," Natasha supplemented when Tony expression became confused. "We can watch that one next. After you get some sleep, that is."  
  
"I'm not tired!" Tony said through a yawn.   
  
Steve snorted with a low chuckle. "Get some shut eye. We'll all still be here when you wake up." He said before going to clean up.   
  
For once, Tony didn't feel the need to protest and peacefully went to his bedroom.  A few hours of sleep would do him some good. His eyes felt dry from staring at the computer screen for hours which tended to lead to massive headaches. It didn't take long for Tony to find a comfortable position on his bed and he felt content before drifting off to sleep.

  
  
  
. . .

  
  
A loud banging roused Tony from his sleep. He sat up on his bed, looking around in a daze before realizing it was someone knocking on his apartment door.  Tony stumbled out of bed with his blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The blanket billowed behind Tony as he walked through the kitchen, he noted that the dishes had been cleaned and were neatly placed on the drying rack near the sink. It's a small act of kindness, one Steve probably didn't think too much of, but it still warmed Tony's heart.   
  
Tony opened the door, expecting Clint and Natasha with the movie they had been talking about. To his surprise, the man Tony had only seen in photos alongside Peggy stood in front of him. "Mr. Carter?"   
  
"You can call me Daniel. It's nice to finally meet you, Tony," Peggy's husband said with ease. "May I?" He gestures with his cane into Tony's apartment.   
  
"Nice to meet you," Tony replied back, unable to stop himself from feeling a bit shy. He held the door open for Daniel and gently closed the door behind the older man. "Did I miss something? I think Peggy is still here if you’re looking for her." Tony racked his brain for any mention that Daniel would be back in town or that he would be visiting, but nothing came to mind.   
  
Daniel took a few slow steps closer to Tony and rested his free hand on Tony's shoulder. "We got him." Daniel dead pans while he ushered Tony to take a seat. It takes Tony a moment to process who "he" is, but when he does his knees feel weak. The chair is pushed closer until Tony fell back into the chair. He should be happy, right? Obie hadn't done anything wrong, or at least that's what Tony had been telling himself. Still, he wanted - no Tony needed answers.  At the same time he knew he couldn't go back to the bunker, but now the question of why he had been there for so long lingered. Tony needed to talk to Obadiah.

  
"It's going to take a few days to get him transported here, but I wanted you to know first," Daniel said cautiously.   
  
"I want to see him," Tony stated with a determined stare. "Alone."   
  
"Tony, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Daniel sighed, his cane thumped against the floor as he moved to sit beside the young genius. “He’s dangerous.”

  
"If you don't let me see him on my terms, I'll find a way." Tony bit back. Obie wasn’t dangerous, Tony didn’t understand why no one else understood that his uncle had been protecting him. 

Daniel returned Tony’s stare, but relented. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise you two will be completely alone. Stane is a high flight risk and is wanted for questioning on other issues.”

Tony bit the inside of his cheek until the familiar metallic taste rushed against his palette. “For what?” There’s venom in his voice and for once Tony doesn’t care about the consequences of mouthing off to an adult.

“Double dealing. There’s a growing list of proof that Stark weapons were sold to countries who have no business owning that technology.” Daniel rested both his hands on the handle of his cane.

“If you let me talk to him, you’ll see this is just a misunderstanding,” Tony pleaded while trying not to think about the evidence against Obie. “He didn’t mean any harm.”

Tony observed Daniel’s face closely, not understanding the look of pity he was receiving. They both sat in silence. Tony could feel his frustration festering to the point his hand wouldn’t stop twitching. “Was there anything else, sir?” Tony stressed the last part and scowled.

“Yes, I - well, Peggy and I were hoping you’d go to dinner with us later tonight?” Daniel asked optimistically.

Tony got up from his chair, causing Daniel to rise and slowly find his footing as well. “Can’t. Pepper gave me a binder to go over for the SI conference coming up.” Tony doesn’t wait for Daniel to ask another question and instead brushed past the man to open the front door.

Daniel could take a hint and followed Tony to the door. “I hope you can make the next one. I’ll see you in a few days. You call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay.” Tony felt numb as the door closed and he could tell Daniel stayed outside his door for a moment as there’s was a solid minute that went by before Tony heard the clunking sound of Daniel’s cane moving farther and farther away.

  
Tony goes out in the hallway, letting his feet carry him to Steve’s apartment door. Steve was the supposed leader and should probably know about Obadiah, or at least that was the excuse Tony planned on using. He raised his hand tentatively and internally debated if he should really knock, but what else did Tony have to lose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I do apologize for how late this chapter is. If any of you follow my Tumblr (catbelwrites) you may have seen I took a hiatus from this work since I was finishing my thesis paper and after that it was a combination of just life keeping me busy. I really struggled with this chapter since it's sort of a transition into bigger plot lines in the story. As always, mistakes are my own. I do apologize for any errors. Thanks for hanging in there! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


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